Today we celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus Christ!
Many people today do not believe that Jesus existed or, if He did, surely He was not resurrected
We have been talking about Extraordinary love
I want you to see that Extraordinary love unveiled today
Jesus, the Son of God, lived, was crucified, and was resurrected
Now, I want you to understand why
God loves you more than you can even comprehend
The scripture today may seem unusual for resurrection Sunday, but hang in there
Jesus wanted us to know that He was going to prepare a place for us in eternity
This brings a peace, if you let it, about the end of this life.
Once you accept Jesus, you can have peace knowing that He has a special place for you.
Vs 3 says He is coming again! That is the ultimate peace!
You said (if we accept Him) what do we know about that?
Jesus said you know the way!
That is great, but I don’t know what He means by that, because I don’t know the way.
Thomas asked this question for you, and Jesus replied:
"I am the Way!"
You don’t have to be perplexed. Jesus said, I am the way, trust ME!
Knowing Jesus is knowing God!
Jesus told the disciples this before He died.
What if those are empty words?
The disciples, just like people today, heard Jesus, but then he died; so they were very confused
They, just like us, needed to be certain.
This passage shows us that they were first very afraid until Jesus appeared in the room
For the disciples and for us, this is a confirmation of the Resurrection
But Thomas was not convinced and said "I have to see it myself"
A week later, Jesus appeared once again in the upper room and showed Thomas His wounds
We never see where Thomas actually put his fingers in the nail prints, but having seen, he believed.
Jesus said Thomas believed because he saw but blessed are those who believe without seeing
Today we don’t physically see Jesus with our own eyes, but we can see Him in our heart
Once Thomas eyes were unveiled, he replied with “my Lord and my God”
He doubted, but once it was revealed, he was the first to call Jesus God.
Are you ready to accept the Way, the Truth, and the Life through Jesus today!
- Apr 17, 2022Extraordinary Love Unveiled
Apr 17, 2022Extraordinary Love UnveiledBy: Bro. George RiekSeries: 2022
Today we celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus Christ!
Many people today do not believe that Jesus existed or, if He did, surely He was not resurrected
We have been talking about Extraordinary love
I want you to see that Extraordinary love unveiled today
Jesus, the Son of God, lived, was crucified, and was resurrected
Now, I want you to understand why
God loves you more than you can even comprehend
The scripture today may seem unusual for resurrection Sunday, but hang in there
Jesus wanted us to know that He was going to prepare a place for us in eternity
This brings a peace, if you let it, about the end of this life.
Once you accept Jesus, you can have peace knowing that He has a special place for you.
Vs 3 says He is coming again! That is the ultimate peace!
You said (if we accept Him) what do we know about that?
Jesus said you know the way!
That is great, but I don’t know what He means by that, because I don’t know the way.
Thomas asked this question for you, and Jesus replied:
"I am the Way!"
You don’t have to be perplexed. Jesus said, I am the way, trust ME!
Knowing Jesus is knowing God!
Jesus told the disciples this before He died.
What if those are empty words?
The disciples, just like people today, heard Jesus, but then he died; so they were very confused
They, just like us, needed to be certain.
This passage shows us that they were first very afraid until Jesus appeared in the room
For the disciples and for us, this is a confirmation of the Resurrection
But Thomas was not convinced and said "I have to see it myself"
A week later, Jesus appeared once again in the upper room and showed Thomas His wounds
We never see where Thomas actually put his fingers in the nail prints, but having seen, he believed.
Jesus said Thomas believed because he saw but blessed are those who believe without seeing
Today we don’t physically see Jesus with our own eyes, but we can see Him in our heart
Once Thomas eyes were unveiled, he replied with “my Lord and my God”
He doubted, but once it was revealed, he was the first to call Jesus God.
Are you ready to accept the Way, the Truth, and the Life through Jesus today!
- Apr 10, 2022Extraordinary Love – Beautiful Light
Apr 10, 2022Extraordinary Love – Beautiful LightBy: Bro. George RiekSeries: 2022
Have you ever groped around in a dark room trying to find a light?
There are so many things that can cause problems when you can’t see. How beautiful that light switch is when you find it.Jesus is the light and He is the only light in a dark world.We stumble around with all sorts of dangers in this dark world but Jesus wants to be the light that saves us!
Some believe that Jesus just wants to judge them for their failures and make them feel bad
But Jesus wants to be the light so you don’t have to walk in the darkness.
Jesus clearly says I did not come to judge the world but to save the world!
We get ourselves into all sorts of trouble but Jesus doesn’t say, you did this so you deserve it
Jesus says, I’m here to save you from all the darkness no matter how you got there.
Jesus does love everyone and that is important to know
But just as important to know, is the fact that there is a judge that will judge you for all eternity
Jesus says if you reject me then you will be judged and that judge is the Word
He says it is not His word but God’s word and if you reject Jesus you are rejecting God
God the Father sent God the Son who is Jesus into this dark world to be the light
God gave Jesus exactly what to say and to do that we might see the light
As we consider this extraordinary love that God has given the world think about this
We could have been left alone in the darkness trying uselessly to find our way
But God sent the beautiful light into the world and He is able to light the whole world
But you do not have to follow the light. You can turn away from the light and continue however you choose
Jesus spoke the commandment of God which is eternal life
He didn’t come to judge but there is a judge
The judgement comes from your decision to accept Jesus and all He said or to reject
What I want you to see here today is that in essence, you are your own judge. You make the judgement to accept or reject
Jesus came, He lived, He died, and rose again, all for you
Will you accept the beautiful light or turn back into the darkness?
- Apr 3, 2022Extraordinary Love – Love Rejected
Apr 3, 2022Extraordinary Love – Love RejectedBy: Bro. George RiekSeries: 2022
First let’s look at what Jesus encountered
Demon possessed men
These men did not want to be filled with demons, but they, in fact, were
Mark 5:9 says when asked the name of the demon, the response was, Legion for we are many
A legion of troops was 5,000. So it could reasonably be estimated that there were 5,000 demons living in these men
Nothing is so bad that God can’t help you.
People today sometimes believe they are in such a bad way, that there can be no help for them
but ALL things are possible with God!
These demons were completely destroying the men and they could not stop it, nor could anyone in the town
They were so violent no one could pass by their way
Even the demons immediately responded to Jesus knowing exactly who He was
God has placed it in us to know who He is, just like the demons, but He gave us also the ability to reject
The demons knew Jesus was about to cleanse these men and they asked to be able to go into a new host
Even the swine didn’t want to be possessed by the demons and they all ran off into the lake and drowned
Why is this even relevant?
During that time swine were considered unclean and Jewish law prohibited them from even being around them
These men that Jesus cleansed were not only victims but they were in fact living against the law as well
“Only good people can be loved by God”
If that were true no one would be loved by God, because we know there is not one who is good.
This incredible miracle happened and the herdsmen immediately went to tell everyone.
Sometimes it is the things that happen around you and not necessarily to you, that can make a huge difference in your life.
Imagine the herdsmen excitedly relaying everything that happened to the townspeople
Jesus displayed an extraordinary love, by cleansing these men of thousands of demons
You would expect the town to be overjoyed!!
The whole city came out to Jesus but instead of being overjoyed
They said take your love and miracles and get on out of here. We don’t want that here!!
They saw the love that Jesus displayed and they flat out rejected that love!
You see Jesus came in love and healed the men in love but the people rejected that love.
That is the great and awful thing about God’s love it can be rejected
The townspeople were more concerned about keeping their way of life and their money
So many people today reject the Love of God because they don’t want to change their lives
Mark's version of this story tells us the man, that was freed from the demons, wanted to leave the city and go with Jesus
Jesus said instead no, go back into the city and tell people what I have done for you.
Even after rejecting Jesus until eternity people can still accept that Extraordinary Love.
Will you accept it today?
- Mar 27, 2022Extraordinary Love – In The Beginning
Mar 27, 2022Extraordinary Love – In The BeginningBy: Bro. George RiekSeries: 2022
Today we begin a series that will take us to Resurrection Sunday
Every story has a beginning, and your story has a beginning too
This is all about the love of God, and He loved you from the very beginning
He loved you so much He created you in the first place
I want you to understand, that God made a way for us from the beginning, it wasn’t a backup plan after we sinned
The light of men, that we read about in this passage, is Jesus
But you see from the beginning that the world could not understand it
But God did not leave us in this state of lostness, instead, He sent a messenger
We know this messenger as John the Baptist. He came to tell the world about Jesus, the Christ
It is the job of every believer to continue this mission of shining a light into the darkness by telling about Christ
This is LOVE, that God didn’t let us stay confused and lost, but sent someone to show us the light
We see here, the light was in the world but man could not see Him
You’ve heard of not seeing the forest for the trees. The world couldn’t see Jesus because they didn’t know how to look
But through the love of God He was already here, in fact the world was made through Him
So grasp this fact, God loves you so much, He created ALL through the Savior and placed the Savior here for ALL
When we think about the crucifixion and the resurrection, we truly see God’s love
But it didn’t start there, it was from the beginning!
Verse 12 is the greatest news we could ever receive, that as many receive Him become His children
God created us, provided the light for us, and gave us the opportunity to accept the Savior, all in the beginning
This is extraordinary Love and there is nothing like it in this world or beyond
The love is so extraordinary that the Word became flesh and dwelt among us!
So today I want you to see that God sent His Son Jesus, the light of the world, into the darkness
So we would finally be able to see the light and accept that extraordinary love, so we could receive salvation
Salvation from the penalty of sin, eternal death
So the question is, do you see the light and are you ready to give your life to Him today?
- Mar 20, 2022Time For An Intervention
Mar 20, 2022Time For An InterventionBy: Bro. George RiekSeries: 2022
I recently read how some friends, recognizing signs of depression in another friend, staged an intervention
Their goal was not to make the friend feel bad, but instead, to affirm the friend was loved
Many people initially respond to an intervention with anger, frustration, and embarrassment
However most times they eventually come to realize, it was done with love and it actually helps them
The thing I want you to see is that, we are to abide in Christ always and because of that we bear much fruit
However, sometimes, things pull us away and we get lost in our walk
When that happens, our brothers and sisters in Christ need to stage an intervention
First, we must draw close enough to one another that we can recognize the struggles
Second, the intervention is always done because of love
The goal is always to help each other find our way back to the right walk
If we abide in His love, we are doing exactly what we are called to do
I’m convinced that God’s people have forgotten what it means to abide in His love
We become lost in our walk and don’t even realize it, because we have walked so far away
What if, first we abide in Him and second we actually share His love with others
We would truly become close to our brothers and sisters, instead of just being someone we see at church sometimes
This bond of love stretches from God, to you, to those around you and it becomes a three stranded cord not easily broken
If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love!
This is My commandment!Understand, that this is a commandment, which means we are called to show His love with ALL people
Not only do we need to stage an intervention within the church and God’s people,
We also need to intervene in the world, to help people see what they really need
People are searching for everything and anything in this world and we know what they really need
God’s love!! If we are abiding in Christ and He is in us, we can show others the love they are searching out
We are more likely to perform an intervention if someone is depressed, or addicted, which is good,
What about when they need to find the true love that will give them salvation
Interventions are not easy because most people don’t want them
But only through an intervention can some people finally see what they really need
Are you ready?
- Mar 13, 202210 Second Wait
Mar 13, 202210 Second WaitBy: Bro. George RiekSeries: 2022
We live in the microwave generation and expect everything to happen quickly
Research shows that most people expect to wait only 2 seconds for an online video to load
After 5 seconds 25% of people leave the site and after 10 seconds the abandonment rate is 50%
Half the people can’t even wait 10 seconds for something they desired in the first place
Today I want to start with a verse that is out of order in the passage we will look at
This verse says we do not know how to pray and as previously mentioned we don’t want to wait either
We are trying to move through life at warp speed and we try to make our relationship with God fit that mold
But a 10 second wait may not be enough for the Spirit to show us how to pray
This verse says the Spirit intercedes with groaning too deep for words
Certainly most of us have had hearts that were full but didn’t know how to express our feelings
Every time we spend time we God, we don’t have to know what to say and sometimes we just need to open our hearts to Him
You see we are living in a world that is not our home and this wait for redemption takes a toll
This is not a 10 second wait. This wait is a lifetime and we must listen to the Holy Spirit as our guide
The point is, one of the reasons our relationship is not deeper, is that we aren’t waiting on the Holy Spirit to guide us
Today’s believer spends most of their prayer time giving God a want list
But true prayer is when we wait on the guidance of the Holy Spirit to show us what to pray because that is what God wants for us
We have been saved with the Hope of salvation. Not hope meaning a wish but hope meaning an assurance
If our hope is in Christ we wait eagerly for that day when our hope shows us Glory
While we wait we listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit.
Sometimes that voice is simply groanings within our being that we don’t know how to express
Instead of giving up when we aren’t sure what to say, let the Spirit reveal the answer
Most of the time this is more than a 10 second wait
We don’t know how to pray but the Spirit intercedes for us
What if we took some real time and listened to the Spirit, instead of just speaking words
What if we truly prayed what God wanted us to pray
If we pray what God is telling us to pray the answer will be amazing and the blessings incredible
One of the biggest problems we have today, is we are structured for that 2 second wait
Stop trying to fit a Holy God into our worldly mold and instead climb into a new mold, with the Holy Spirit as the guide
Jesus said the Holy Spirit would come and be our helper.
Isn’t it time you listened to the one that was sent to help you in the first place
Have you ever listened to the Spirit?
Do you know God?
Today I plead with you to listen, even if it takes a while for you to hear, and then respond.
- Mar 6, 2022Be A Good Steward
Mar 6, 2022Be A Good StewardBy: Bro. George RiekSeries: 2022
Probably many of you, like me, grew up hearing about being a good steward
For most of us that was always taught about money
Since God gave you the money, be a good steward of it and tithe, use it wisely not foolishly
Let me start by saying that is all good practice and being a good steward of God’s money is something we should all do
However, today I want to look at that phrase “Be a Good Steward” in another light
In this passage what we are seeing is that we are to be good stewards of everything God has given us
This means our time, our gifts, our money, our friendships, our love, everything
Vs 7
“The end of all things is near”I don’t know when the end will come but I know we are closer today than we were yesterday.
As people find out that their lives are coming to an end it causes them to reflect on what is really important
They may think about how they have lived and wish they had lived better.
The one thing almost everyone has in common, when that reality sets in, is what about eternity
This verse is telling us that as the end grows nearer every day we need to focus our relationship with God through prayer
When we figure out how to be purposeful about that prayer relationship, we are in a closer walk with God and things become clear
So we need to be good stewards with our time and make sure God gets that time
Vs 8 says “keep fervent in your love for one another”
This world needs a lot more love! If we are good stewards of our love, we will give it freely and often
I’m speaking of course of God’s love. What if we daily worked to show God’s love to everyone we came in contact with
I believe conflict with people would all but disappear and certainly more people would be open to hear the gospel
This seems so easy but in reality it’s probably the hardest thing for most of us to do
The biggest reason this is so hard, is the world has taught us everything is about you……but it isn’t
“Each one has a special gift” We have probably all been told this in our life but most people never explore their gift
Most of us believers have not identified what our special gifts are and so therefore we are not good stewards of them
If we identified our gifts and used them as God intended them to be used, I believe our world would look so much different
When we don’t use God’s gifts in the way He wants, we are not good stewards of that gift
Basically what we see here is that when our gifts are used, they should directly point to the God that gave them
If we are truly good stewards of the things that God has given, (and He gave everything) He is glorified
When our lives glorify God, we receive that Joy of knowing we are being good stewards and living our purpose
The bottom line is that if we as the children of God, work to be good stewards of the things God gave us, people will see Jesus in us
However, you can’t use your gifts for a God you don’t know
Do you know Him today?
- Feb 27, 2022Here We Grow
Feb 27, 2022Here We GrowBy: Bro. George RiekSeries: 2022
Last week we heard a great message about self examination
We all need to come to a place where we have complete assurance of our salvation
If you have not yet gotten to that place, I would love to talk to you after the service today
If you know, without a doubt, that you have the salvation that Jesus offers, then it is time to Grow!
Perhaps you say “We understand this because we have known Christ a long time.”
You see, we are never too old to keep growing
Understand that we all have been given tasks according to how God saw fit to give them
Some preachers, some teachers, some apostles and some evangelists
The point here is that he didn’t appoint any of us to do nothing
He appointed all of us for the building up of the body of Christ
Vs 13 is talking about when we are in Glory and we have become mature
The point is, that until that time, none of us will reach full maturity
Then we will no longer be infants, but for now…
Tossed back and forth, blown here and there, this is how we are if we are not trying to Grow
If you have received salvation, you are to put off your old self and put on the new self to be like GodWe have to grow! We begin with the spiritual milk immediately after salvation as an infant in Christ
Infants do not stay infants! As they take nutrients, their physical body develops
As spiritual infants, we need the spiritual nutrients to grow in Christ
Speech, conduct, love, faith and in purity
Devote yourselves to reading of scripture, preaching and teachingLike Psalm 92:13 says “plant yourself in the house of the Lord” both physically and spiritually
Plant yourself through your own reading and studying of God’s word
Plant yourself through the corporate teaching and preaching of God’s word
Always devote yourself to a time of prayer daily
If I planted a Satsuma tree, and it didn’t grow to produce fruit, I would cut it down.
When we are planted in salvation, we need to Grow and produce fruit as the sower expected us to do.
Have you been planted in salvation?
- Feb 20, 2022Self-Examination
- Feb 13, 2022A New Perspective
- Feb 6, 2022Vacation Or Peace
Feb 6, 2022Vacation Or PeaceBy: Bro. George RiekSeries: 2022
Probably every person in this room or listening online has spoken these words:
I NEED A VACATION!!
Life gets hard and sometimes we just feel the need to unplug from everything
I don’t know about you, but after almost every vacation I have ever taken, when I get home, I need another vacation
Unplugging from the daily grind is good, but, while it brings some relief, it adds other stressors too
"It costs more than I planned for; I’m running late to the next place; I can’t sleep in this bed…….. "
Do you know that Jesus said we would have tribulation in this world?
It is not a quick vacation, or stress break, or shopping trip, or any of these things we need:
We need the peace that only God can give.
Jesus was talking to His disciples here, and they had finally believed that He was God
Vs 31 Jesus says “Do you now believe?”
Guess what, now that you finally believe you are about to find trouble
Just like I talked about on Wed night, it is when you act upon those things of God that Satan comes against you
You will be scattered, you will have tribulation, in other words this world is going to be against you!
New believers often have trouble because somehow, they thought, once they accepted Christ, trouble was over
Jesus never ever told us that we would not have trouble, in fact twice in this passage He warns of trouble
So a vacation, while it is good to relax a little, doesn’t solve the problems in our world
What we really need is the peace that only God can give.
So how do we get that?
“in Me you may have peace”
The greatest thing about God’s peace is that He gives it to us freely.
Believing in Jesus, and walking with God daily brings peace greater than anything in this world can give
The next part of vs 33 immediately says “in the world you have tribulation”
You see the peace that God gives doesn’t stop tribulation; while we are in this world, it will come
One of the greatest phrases ever spoken is the end of
vs 33“take courage, I have overcome the world”
Jesus conquered the grave, and overcame this earthly world so that we too can have that power
Don’t be disheartened when trouble comes, but, instead hold onto that peace in God, knowing He has overcome ALL
Are you finally ready to accept that peace that passes all understanding today?
- Jan 30, 2022A Blessed Man