HOPE
Without hope people give up
In sports, in love, in life; hope is the driving force
No matter how bad things get, if you have hope, you can persevere
In Isaiah’s day, times were bad for the Jews
"For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us;And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor,
Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.
There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace,
On the throne of David and over his kingdom,
To establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness From then on and forevermore.
The zeal of the LORD of hosts will accomplish this."
Suddenly, there is hope and hope for all eternity
This sign was passed on and the people looked for the future hope
Because the birth was a lowly one, many people did not believe
"While they were there, the days were completed for her to give birth.
And she gave birth to her firstborn son; and she wrapped Him in cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
In the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock by night.
And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened.
But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people;
for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
"This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."
And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,
"Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased."
The birth of the Hope of the world was announced
Because of the sin in the world, mankind was destined to Hell
That is what this Savior is about; saving us from our own destiny
He would pay the debt we couldn’t pay to reconcile us with God
Without our Savior, Jesus, there would be no hope.
Perhaps some did not believe the shepherds
"And there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon;and this man was righteous and devout, looking for the consolation of Israel; and the Holy Spirit was upon him.
And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ.
And he came in the Spirit into the temple;
and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to carry out for Him the custom of the Law,
then he took Him into his arms, and blessed God, and said,
"Now Lord, You are releasing Your bond-servant to depart in peace, According to Your word;
For my eyes have seen Your salvation, Which You have prepared in the presence of all peoples,
A LIGHT OF REVELATION TO THE GENTILES, And the glory of Your people Israel."
How about Simeon; can you believe him? He was led by the Holy Spirit
Simeon shared a great hope for us
He proclaimed a light of revelation to the Gentiles
This gives hope to all people; Jews and Gentiles
"And there was a prophetess, Anna the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher.She was advanced in years and had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage,
and then as a widow to the age of eighty-four.
She never left the temple, serving night and day with fastings and prayers.
At that very moment she came up and began giving thanks to God,
and continued to speak of Him to all those who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem.
Anna, the prophetess, told everyone that this child was the redemption of Israel
The hope, that over 400 years earlier had been prophesied, was here
He was born, the hope of the world
Romans 3:23 tells us that we have all sinned
Romans 6:23
Says the wages of sin are death
BUT the free gift of God is eternal life
This is the Hope that we have, and His name is Jesus
He lived, was crucified, buried, and rose again on the 3rd day.
Romans 10:9 says WHOEVER believes in Him
Will not perish but have eternal life
This is the Hope that gets us through every challenge of life
Do you know that hope or are you still looking for it?
- Dec 27, 2020The Birth Of Hope
The Birth Of Hope
HOPE
Without hope people give up
In sports, in love, in life; hope is the driving force
No matter how bad things get, if you have hope, you can persevere
In Isaiah’s day, times were bad for the Jews
Look at Isaiah 9:6-7 NASB"For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us;And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor,
Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.
There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace,
On the throne of David and over his kingdom,
To establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness From then on and forevermore.
The zeal of the LORD of hosts will accomplish this."Suddenly, there is hope and hope for all eternity
This sign was passed on and the people looked for the future hope
Because the birth was a lowly one, many people did not believe
"While they were there, the days were completed for her to give birth.
And she gave birth to her firstborn son; and she wrapped Him in cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
In the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping watch over their flock by night.
And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened.
But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people;
for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
"This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger."
And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,
"Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased."The birth of the Hope of the world was announced
Look at verse 11The Savior of the World is the Hope they had all been looking forBecause of the sin in the world, mankind was destined to Hell
That is what this Savior is about; saving us from our own destiny
He would pay the debt we couldn’t pay to reconcile us with God
Without our Savior, Jesus, there would be no hope.
Perhaps some did not believe the shepherds
"And there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon;and this man was righteous and devout, looking for the consolation of Israel; and the Holy Spirit was upon him.
And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ.
And he came in the Spirit into the temple;
and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to carry out for Him the custom of the Law,
then he took Him into his arms, and blessed God, and said,
"Now Lord, You are releasing Your bond-servant to depart in peace, According to Your word;
For my eyes have seen Your salvation, Which You have prepared in the presence of all peoples,
A LIGHT OF REVELATION TO THE GENTILES, And the glory of Your people Israel."How about Simeon; can you believe him? He was led by the Holy Spirit
Simeon shared a great hope for us
He proclaimed a light of revelation to the Gentiles
This gives hope to all people; Jews and Gentiles
"And there was a prophetess, Anna the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher.She was advanced in years and had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage,
and then as a widow to the age of eighty-four.
She never left the temple, serving night and day with fastings and prayers.
At that very moment she came up and began giving thanks to God,
and continued to speak of Him to all those who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem.Anna, the prophetess, told everyone that this child was the redemption of Israel
The hope, that over 400 years earlier had been prophesied, was here
He was born, the hope of the world
Romans 3:23 tells us that we have all sinned
Romans 6:23
Says the wages of sin are deathBUT the free gift of God is eternal life
This is the Hope that we have, and His name is Jesus
He lived, was crucified, buried, and rose again on the 3rd day.
Romans 10:9 says WHOEVER believes in Him
Will not perish but have eternal life
This is the Hope that gets us through every challenge of life
Do you know that hope or are you still looking for it?
- Dec 24, 2020Christmas Eve Service 2020
Christmas Eve Service 2020
- Dec 20, 2020Trusting God (even when it’s hard)
Trusting God (even when it’s hard)
If you have ever attended church, you probably heard "just trust God"
Sometimes, that seems very easy
Sometimes, not so easy
Sometimes, trusting God is downright hard!
"Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows: when His mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph,
before they came together she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit.
And Joseph her husband, being a righteous man and not wanting to disgrace her, planned to send her away secretly.
But when he had considered this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying,
"Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for the Child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.
"She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins."
Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet:
"BEHOLD, THE VIRGIN SHALL BE WITH CHILD AND SHALL BEAR A SON, AND THEY SHALL CALL HIS NAME IMMANUEL," which translated means, "GOD WITH US."
And Joseph awoke from his sleep and did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, and took Mary as his wife, but kept her a virgin until she gave birth to a Son;
and he called His name Jesus."Joseph had a hard decision to make
He obviously loved Mary
What if you were in that situation today?
Joseph was chosen by God also
Now, after hearing from the angel, Joseph still had to make a decision
Most of the time, in our lives we know what we should do, but it is hard
Our friends and families sometimes make it harder
If Joseph trusted God, he would be mocked and shamed
Perhaps, those who were the closest to him would reject him
But if he didn’t trust God ……..
This is a situation we often find ourselves in, and it is hard
Trusting God doesn’t mean there won’t be struggles
You may still go through some very hard times
We know, from scripture, that Joseph and Mary did go through hard times
Ultimately, it is how God brings you through these times
So, do you really trust God? He is the one that already knows the outcome.
We know that this year has been like no other in our lifetimes
But GOD!!
Do you trust Him even when it is hard?
Today is the day to solidly put your trust in Him for all eternity.
Will you receive Him today?
- Dec 15, 2020A Christmas Celebration 2020
A Christmas Celebration 2020
- Dec 13, 2020Ordinary To Extraordinary
Ordinary To Extraordinary
Sometimes, when you talk to people about salvation, they give excuses
One of the most often given is, "God surely wouldn’t want me"
Many people struggle with low self esteem
Some just know they have lived a rough life so far
Either way, they will tell you they are just ordinary and not worthy
Today, I want to talk about the most well-known woman in the Bible
Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee called Nazareth,
to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the descendants of David; and the virgin's name was Mary.
And coming in, he said to her, "Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you."
But she was very perplexed at this statement, and kept pondering what kind of salutation this was.
The angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor with God.
"And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name Him Jesus.
"He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David;
and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end."
Mary said to the angel, "How can this be, since I am a virgin?"
The angel answered and said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you;
and for that reason the holy Child shall be called the Son of God.
"And behold, even your relative Elizabeth has also conceived a son in her old age; and she who was called barren is now in her sixth month.
"For nothing will be impossible with God."
And Mary said, "Behold, the bondslave of the Lord; may it be done to me according to your word." And the angel departed from her.Of course, the woman I’m talking about is Mary, the mother of Jesus
Mary was a young lady of around 13 or 14 and she was engaged
This was the norm for those days and there is no mention of anything special
She would more than likely have been illiterate, as most women were
She probably worked about 10 hours a day
The scriptures would have been taught to her by her father
The angel said "Greetings, favored one" and this perplexed her
She didn’t see anything special about herself
In fact, prior to this moment, there wasn’t anything special
Why was she a favored one?
Because God choose her!
She still had a choice; look at the end of this passage, vs 38It was at that moment that she went from ordinary to extraordinaryYou see, when God calls you and you accept,
It changes everything
But this was Old Testament
Has anyone ever heard of Billy Graham?
How about Lee Strobel?
How about George Riek, Sharon Vittor, or Hugh Ellis?
You see, it isn’t what you have to offer, it is what God has to give
We are all just ordinary, but God still loves us and wants a relationship with us
It is when we say yes to God that He changes us
Will you go from Ordinary to Extraordinary today?
- Dec 6, 2020Love Conquers All
Love Conquers All
We have been talking a lot lately about struggles, fear, hard times
2020 seems to have brought all these things to the surface
Today I want to talk to you about something that is greater than all that
Love
Not love in the traditional way the human way
The greatest love!
GOD’s
Love"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son,that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life."For God - God is the creator and He is greater than anyone or anything!So Loved - We often recite this verse and say it so quickly that we skip over the word “so”
That word is the emphasis that makes the word Love even stronger
It means He loved with everything He has
Let that sink in for a moment
The one, who is greater than all, loves YOU with all He has
How do I know that He loves you?
The world - This doesn’t mean the Earth; this means those who make up the world
ALL the people:
Past, Present, and FutureThe God of ALL loves YOU
How much does He love YOU?
That He gave His only begotten Son - The first Christmas gift, the baby in the manger, JesusI dare say there is not a human alive that would give their only child for a strangerThis is the ultimate Love, and because of that Love, nothing can overcome it
Who ever, believes in Him shall not perish - You see, His love is so great that it conquers ALL
The one thing that all people do that condemns them to Hell is Sin
God’s love conquers even that sin
It is greater than trouble, hard times, fear; greater than ALL!
But have eternal life - God’s great love sent us His Son as the first Christmas present
So that He would conquer ALL for UsThat we may have a relationship with God, our Father, through eternal lifeHave you received the gift of ultimate love today?
- Nov 29, 2020Don’t Worry, Be Thankful
Don’t Worry, Be Thankful
2020
For many people it has become synonymous with worry
There has been plenty to worry about this year right?
Pandemic, a word we all wish we could forget
Record number of Hurricanes, we all learned some Greek this year
Civil unrest, most of us thought this couldn’t happen like it did.
Election fatigue, everyone is there right?
Worry seems to have come standard with this year model.
Matt 6:25-34
This entire passage is Jesus speaking and the first thing He says is don’t worry.
That seems easy to say and very hard to do. How can I not worry.
Jesus says do not worry because your Heavenly Father will take care of you.
How do we know that?
Vs 26-30
Jesus says God feeds the birds and clothes the flowers so He will take care of you.
In other words in order to not worry we have to be thankful
If you are sitting here today you have much to be thankful for!
During this season of Thanksgiving did you pause and thank God for the blessings?
We have so much to be thankful for because as bad as things are……
They could be even worse!
In looking around and surveying what we have to be thankful for…..
We begin to seek Him and trust Him
Vs 31-33
Do not worry but seek first the Kingdom of God
When we seek Him first meaning this becomes the greatest priority
All these things will be added unto you
What things, what you eat, what you drink, what you wear
In other words all of life’s needs will be taken care of
Don’t worry, be thankful and Seek God First
Look at vs 34
This passage closes showing us that worry isn’t productive
Each day has enough trouble of it’s own!
There is only one way for us to deal with this and that is to trust God
Do you know the only one that can take care of you?
- Nov 22, 2020The Response For Hard Times
The Response For Hard Times
Has anyone out there been going through hard times lately?
Dumb question it’s 2020 after all
As this terrible horrible no good very bad year comes to a close
It seems to be going out as hard as it has been the whole year
So how do we respond to something like this
The real answer is
We Worship!!
Yes Really!!
1 Chronicles 16:8-11
The Proper response when we are going through hard times is to Worship our Lord
Exodus 20:1-2
If we allow the hard times to take number 1 in our life we make it a god
Think about this when you are pouring your heart out is worship
It is impossible to dwell on the hard times
In 1 Chronicles why were they so over-joyed?
The ark of God was coming there meaning God was with them
Today God resides with every believer through the Holy Spirit
This fact alone should fill us with true joy
Hard times are very hard
Look at how David and the city responded to God being with them
They were responding with every ounce of joy they had, that’s true Worship!
They had been going through a war with the Philistines so hard times a plenty
Satan tries to force us to dwell on the hard times and keep us from God
Worship doesn’t just take you mind off things for a little while
People use all types of substances to take their mind off their troubles
When that high or drunk or whatever is over the trouble is usually compounded
When you worship you find the strength to do all things through Christ
Worship is what we were designed for.
Now the question is can you worship?
Not if you do not know Jesus
Today give you heart to Jesus and know what true worship is!!
- Nov 15, 2020Never Alone
Never Alone
Last week, Bro. Tim talked about the church submitting to the Father
Our biggest problem today is trying to be a church apart from the Father
When we do things alone, they will never be the will of God
John 15:1-5 NASB"I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser."Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit."You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you."Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me."I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing."I AM the true vineMy Father is the vine dresser When we talk about this, understand that a branch is a product of the vine The sole responsibility of the branch is to bear fruit If the branch isn’t bearing much, then pruning it helps it to bear more fruit Removing dead branches helps the vine grow stronger When we pull away and go it alone, we will not survive Never Alone! We are not designed to be apart from the vineVs 4Abide in ME! This is the proper relationship and the only one that worksVs 5I AM the vine. You are the branches Understanding our place helps us to thrive in it He who abides in me In this type of relationship, we thrive because we are not alone Apart from ME you can do NOTHING If the church today is going to make a difference in the world, We must never be alone but always abide in Him Perhaps you realize today that you are apart from Him Are you ready to be grafted onto the vine? - Nov 8, 2020The Church And Home
The Church And Home
Ephesians 5:21-27 KJV"Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God. Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body. Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so [let] the wives [be] to their own husbands in every thing. Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish." - Nov 1, 2020Commander And Chief
Commander And Chief
The Presidential election is Tuesday; so please VOTE!
People have become very passionate about elections and winners and losers
Some people are threatening to leave the country if their candidate loses
There have been reports of people becoming physically ill
The phrase “He’s not my President!” rings out all over the place
Look with me to Romans 13:1"Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God." NASBThis means that whoever is elected is placed there by God
"Surely God did not intend for that person to be President!"
There is no authority except from God and those that exist are established by God
So understand this, whoever becomes the next President, God placed them there
We call the President the "Commander in Chief"
But God is the "Commander and Chief"
He has the authority and He is the leader
Isaiah 43:13"Even from eternity I am He, And there is none who can deliver out of My hand; I act and who can reverse it?"Daniel 4:35
"All the inhabitants of the earth are accounted as nothing, But He does according to His will in the host of heaven And among the inhabitants of earth; And no one can ward off His hand Or say to Him, `What have You done?'"Matthew 28:18"And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth."You see God is the Commander and ChiefHe gave all authority to Jesus, who intercedes on our behalf
This is still "One Nation Under God" and believers must act like it
If our Nation doesn’t humble themselves and pray
Then how can we be a Godly Nation
Believers, your duty is to vote on Tuesday
But, it is also to lift up the President that God appoints in prayer daily
How is that possible if you don’t personally know the one with all authority?
The Commander and Chief gave all authority to Jesus
Jesus stands with his nail scarred hands calling you to Him today
Don’t be consumed by the next 4 years! Instead, are you ready for Eternity?
- Oct 25, 2020Refined By Fire
Refined By Fire
Gold is refined by heating to the point that the impurities rise to the surface
In Old Testament days, fire was used to purify
The refining process now combines heat and pressure
While being intense, this process can reach a 99.99% purity level
"In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, so that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ; and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory, obtaining as the outcome of your faith the salvation of your souls."For a little while
If necessary
Proof of your faith
Results in praise, glory, and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ
You have not seen Him but you Love Him
You do not currently see Him but you believe in Him
Rejoice with joy inexpressible
Full of Glory
Outcome of your faith
Salvation of your soul
You see, every trial you go through makes you a little purer
This is the sanctification process, and it will continue until glorification
The question is, "do you believe in Him?" and "do you Love Him?"
