God Created

In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. Gen. 1:1

This is God's "deed" for the whole creation; it is a statement of ownership. The whole of the first chapter tells us how He did it, but this one verse is an absolute statement of truth. It is a grand summary statement that stands independent of all the others and introduces all the teaching on creation. [Synopsis of sermon by Pastor R. yesterday.]

A few other truths from the sermon:

1. Everything we have, know and are had a beginning.

2. God had no beginning. He is eternal.

3. The eternal God brought the heavens and earth into existence out of nothing.

4. The earth is the exclusive distinct object of His purposes. He distinguishes earth from all the others.

Now you have to agree we have a mighty God. Does He not have the right to have the final say about what His creation can and cannot do?

"Lovest Thou Me?

"Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me?". . .

Yesterday's morning and evening messages were both from the short passage found in 21:15-17, and were accompanied by really profound applications on the subject of love for Christ. I'm sure I'm not the only one who was impacted. Pastor C., our guest speaker, finished in the evening with the following words, penned by our beloved Elizabeth Pentriss, and what a perfect conclusion, since these words were being played out in our hearts already:

More love to thee, O Christ, More love to thee!

Hear thou the prayer I make On bended knee:

This is my earnest plea, More love, O Christ to thee,

More love to thee, More love to thee!

~ E Prentiss

Focus John 3:16

(Photo by Olga Novikova)

For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him, should not perish, but have everlasting life. John 3:16

"A more wonderful verse in the Bible cannot be found." ~ J.C. Ryle

And last evening's sermon was focused squarely on this wonderful verse, which indeed I would agree, Mr. Ryle, there is none more so. The young man who often comes to share the Word with us, came again to minister and as he never fails to give us solid food for the soul, this sermon was no exception. He had four points, and we were fed:

1. The Fountain of Love is God
Here he talked about the love of God in all of its beauty and wonder. 

2. The Flow of His Love Directed Toward the World
 Here he talked about what is meant by “the world”  and after much discussion he settled on the fact that God’s love in this instance is directed towards all nations, not just the Jews. Both Jews and Gentiles are included.

3. The Fact of God’s Love
He gave His Son, the One with whom He had the most special and unique relationship. He gave Him to die. He gave Him to die for sinners. He gave Him who also was divine like Himself to die a cruel death on the cross for the sins of others.

4. The Fruit of His Love
Whoever will, whoever believes in His Son and what He accomplished there on the cross won’t have to perish. They can have eternal life. They can be saved from the wrath to come.

This is the essence of the gospel. It’s difficult for a child of God like me not to be refreshed and encouraged hearing the precious gospel laid out before me once again. And indeed I was refreshed and encouraged. Ready to press on in the faith. Only seeing Jesus before me does that.

If you’ve happened to stop by this blog and read this post I hope it makes you think. You may have seen references to John 3:16 before. Are you included in the “whosoever?” If not, or if you’re not sure, I implore you to find a Bible and read this verse and pray for God to reveal Himself to you and to save you. Read the entire third chapter of the Book of John. Indeed it would be even better if you read the whole Book of John and then go on from there, praying for God’s help all the while. And may He use this to give you the salvation that’s been talked about here.

Success

So how do you define success?

If you were an actress, you may define it in terms of getting a big part and becoming "famous." If you were a businessman you may define it in terms of huge profits. If you were a baseball team, you may define it in terms of winning the World Series. But if you have the heart of a missionary, you define it in terms of seeing a group of people whom you've been ministering to, gathered around an open Bible praying to the one true God.

Such is the case of a young man who came to preach the Word yesterday and give a presentation to our church of his hopes and dreams to serve God in the "uttermost parts of the world." He and his wife and two small children will be leaving to go to live in a place that not many folks go to for vacation. In April, they're moving to Papua, New Guinea. Why are they going to this remote part of the world and leaving the comforts of America? Why to preach the gospel there; to try to reach the unreached, that's why.

As he said in his sermon yesterday, the Triune God will accomplish the task of Missions. It's guaranteed. How exactly this will work out in this young man's life  and ministry we can't know yet. But I certainly will be praying for his family and certainly do wish him success.

The Highest Authority

 (Art by Juliette Aristides)

Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. Romans 13:1 [NKJV]

Just wanted to share a couple of thoughts from our pastor's sermon this morning on the subject of government. The sermon was a needed one at the time we're in right now with the current election coming up in nine days. It wasn't a political message, because at our church the pastors do try to stay away from any involvement in politics, refraining from telling us who or what we should vote for on any given level. But they do rightfully try to impress the Word of God on our hearts, so that when we do whatever we do, including exercising this important privilege as citizens, that will be foremost in our minds.

I've been thinking a lot about this election so it was good to be reminded of some things. I've been listening to the "much talking" coming from both sides, everybody accusing everybody else of being liars, among a host of other things. Actually, it's getting exhausting to tell the truth. So the reminders from today's sermon were so welcome. I won't outline the entire sermon, which I appreciated so much as it was so sober, sensible, and practical. But I don't want to ever forget what was he said about the highest authority that exists:

Every human government has its credentials. It has a name, an ideology, a capital, a cabinet, a sphere of rule, intelligence, and the rest. But the highest authority has a Name, which is "the Most High God;" an Age, which is Eternal; a Capital, which is Heaven; Ministers, who are the Angels; a Realm, which is the Universe; Intelligence, which is Omniscient; Experience, which is Infinite; a Record, which is Impeccable; Character, which is Unimpeachable; and a Purpose, which is Benevolent. ~ Pastor J.R.

Now that's quite enough to help me to press on and not be afraid, no matter who wins on November 6th.

Unprofitable Servants

 

(Photo by Alina L.)

So likewise ye, when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, We are unprofitable servants; we have done that which was our duty to do. Luke 17:10.

Yesterday's sermon from Luke 17:5-10 had many points that the Lord applied to my heart in a variety of ways. I'm thankful for that since I need as much help as I can get. This morning I went to check out what my old friend, J.C. Ryle, had to say on the passage and his following words on verse ten really hit home:

"At our best we can do our duty, and have nothing to boast of. And even when we do our duty, it is not by our own power and might that we do it, but by the strength which is given to us from God. Claim upon God we have none. Right to expect anything from God we have none. Worthiness to deserve anything from God we have none. All that we have we have received. All that we are we owe to God's sovereign, distinguishing grace." ~ J.C. Ryle

Well Diggers and Rope Holders

That was the title of our sermon this evening. It was an exhortation to us regarding missions. The people in the ministry, pastors and missionaries, are the well diggers. We can pray for more of them, but in the meantime we can certainly serve them and the Lord as rope holders. This is the quote by William Carey that inspired the sermon:

After hearing an account of the spiritual needs of India, the secretary of the meeting remarked: "There is a gold mine in India, but it seems almost as deep as the center of the earth. Who will venture to explore it?" "I will venture to go down," said Carey, "but remember that you must hold the ropes."

And there are many ways we can participate in rope holding. Pray the Lord to show us each how we can do this.

Nothing Between

This wonderful hymn was spoken of in our sermon today. I just had to post this lovely rendition. Please turn off the music on the sidebar first.

Count the Cost

So the title of this post is the subject of this morning's sermon. Indeed, we must count the cost of being a disciple of Jesus. There are many Scriptures which teach us that we must confess Him, follow Him, deny ourselves, take up our cross, and definitely not be ashamed to own Him. The following words from a hymn come to mind:

Jesus, and shall it ever be, a mortal man ashamed of thee?

Ashamed of thee whom angels praise, Whose glories shine through endless days!

Ashamed of Jesus! that dear Friend On whom my hopes of heav'n depend!

No; when I blush, be this my shame, That I no more revere His Name.

Ashamed of Jesus! yes, I may When I've no guilt to wash away,

No tear to wipe, no good to crave, No fears to quell, no soul to save.

~ Joseph Grigg, 1765

God is God

Remember the former things of old, For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me, Declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things that are not yet done, saying ' My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure,' calling a bird of prey from the east, the man who executes My counsel, from a far country. Indeed I have spoken it; I will also bring it to pass, I have purposed it; I will also do it. ~ Isaiah 46:9-11

Oh how I've loved this passage for a long time, because it explains to us our God. How pleasantly surprised I was to find out it would be the sermon text for yesterday. How wonderful it was to reflect on:

The Person of God. God is God. What else can you say? There is no other God.

It is very necessary and important that we believe the truth that He is holy and high above all else in the universe.

If we are to live our lives as we should, we have to remember the amazing fact that God is sovereign and we are subject to His will.

What is better than that? God is God.

He Set His Face

And it came to pass, when the time was come that he should be received up, he stedfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem. Luke 9:51

Oh how I love these words in the precious Word of God. They were read tonight as a part of the text for the sermon, which was primarily about God's plowmen. It was a good sermon on that topic, but for some reason my eyes kept fixing on the above verse. Since it's the beginning of Passion Week, as it's called, I wanted to reflect on the thought of my Savior doggedly determined to go to Jerusalem, knowing full well what awaited Him there. He unwaveringly "set his face" to go, not for Himself, but for others. I hope if you're reading this that you are included as one of the many who have benefited from what happened over two thousand years ago, in Jerusalem.

Bishop Ryle can say it so much better than I can:

". . . The betrayal, the unjust trial, the mockery, the scourging, the crown of thorns, the spitting, the nails, the spear, the agony of the cross--all were doubtless spread before His mind's eye, like a picture. But He never flinched for a moment from the work that He had undertaken. His heart was set on paying the price of our redemption, and going even to the prison of the grave, as our surety. He was full of tender love towards sinners. It was the desire of His whole soul to procure for them salvation. And so, 'for the joy set before Him, He endured the cross, despising the shame.' (Heb. xii.2)"

O Sinner, Come Home!!

I love, love, LOVE this hymn. Loooooooooooooooove it! We sang it last night as a prelude to a sermon on the importance of sharing the gospel message with unbelievers. I decided to post it here as a feeble effort to do just that--share the blessed message of the gospel to someone who is needy. Who knows that the Lord might use this little blog post and the title I've given to it to alert one of His own that He is indeed calling that person to Himself.

Read the words carefully if you've come here in an unconverted state. Perhaps Jesus is calling YOU.

Softly and tenderly Jesus is calling,
Calling for you and for me;
See, on the portals He’s waiting and watching,
Watching for you and for me.

Why should we tarry when Jesus is pleading,
Pleading for you and for me?
Why should we linger and heed not His mercies,
Mercies for you and for me?

Time is now fleeting, the moments are passing,
Passing from you and from me;
Shadows are gathering, deathbeds are coming,
Coming for you and for me.

O for the wonderful love He has promised,
Promised for you and for me!
Though we have sinned, He has mercy and pardon,
Pardon for you and for me.

Refrain:
Come home, come home,
You who are weary, come home;
Earnestly, tenderly, Jesus is calling,
Calling, O sinner, come home!

(Please turn off the music on the sidebar and reverently listen as you read the words. Of course, you will read the refrain after each stanza and play this as many times as you need to.)

Keep the Unity

I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; Endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; One Lord, one faith, one baptism, One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. Ephesians 4:1-6

The ministry of the Word which we heard yesterday was wonderful. That's the only way to describe it and the impact it had on my heart. I've heard many sermons over the years on the importance of unity in the church, but the two sermons preached yesterday on the above passage were outstanding. I can only thank the Lord for them. We were visited by a young man who has preached at our church many times before and how thankful I am to have had him come once again to preach to us. God has recently given him a church to pastor and he shared with us some delightful food that I'm sure his congregation has enjoyed.

What stood out for me from this two part sermon on this passage, was what Pastor X. emphasized about the diversity that is found in the body of Christ, believers from different ethnic groups, ages, genders, etc. all coming together as one. We're not being told in this passage to do something outside of what is true from chapters 1 through 3 of Ephesians, but to KEEP what we already have. I love that. We already have unity because of what we are in Christ. As he said, "you're a bird, so fly." Get it? We are in Christ and are one in Him. The apostle Paul is telling us to continue in what we already have. I like it that he said he didn't want to bring down the law heavy on us, telling is "DO, DO, DO," but was reminding us that we HAVE peace, so live it. That really blessed me so much.

I cannot do these sermons justice, but I hope you get the picture.

There is None Like It

And the priest said, The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom thou slewest in the valley of Elah, behold, it is here wrapped in a cloth behind the Ephod, if thou wilt take that, take it: for there is no other save that here. And David said, There is none like that; give it me. I Samuel 21:9

Our sermon yesterday was quite interesting. I had never paid enough attention to this particular verse before to get out of it what was brought forth yesterday. David was running from Saul, at a low point in his life, and had come to Ahimelech the priest. He asked the priest if he had either a sword or spear because he (David) had no weapon on him. The above verse was Ahimelech's answer.

We thought about three important lessons from all this: First, we thought about the providence of God in David's life which had brought him to that point in time; then we thought about how the priest had reminded David of what he had already accomplished when he had slain the Philistine, and then we were reminded of what that one sword represented: The sword that almost destroyed Israel was the same sword that freed Israel. No wonder David said there was none like it.

All of these truths were applied to our own lives here and now: Of course concerning God's providence in His dealing with each of us; then how we should remind each other of God's work in our lives, the remembrance of which will give us confidence and strength. And we were finally reminded that the accomplishment of one seemingly insignificant person against a mighty foe can encourage the rest of us to fight the Lord's battles.

Very good lessons indeed.

Our Priority

A dear man, the pastor from our "mother" church who mentored our little beginning work at its inception as well as over the years, was with us last evening to preach once again. It was so special because he and another pastor who both brought the messages the Sunday we began as a church were the same two speakers at yesterday's anniversary services. These were the two men who ordained our pastor that same day.

Pastor B. spoke to us as a congregation. He spoke in that same familiar fatherly tone which he always used in the past. He wanted to remind us of something so very important: we as a body of believers need to continue to have the same priority as we go forward that the Apostle Paul had.

A. He reminded us first of Paul's Apostolic Authority and how Jesus had appeared to him personally.

B. He reminded us most importantly that Paul's priority was the preaching of the gospel, and ours must be also.

C. He reminded us lastly exactly what the gospel message is, as outlined in I Corin. 15:3-4.

He exhorted us over and again to keep that gospel message about Jesus' death, burial and resurrection as our primary focus. I for one believe that we cannot be reminded of these things too often.

Sunday Snippet: The Gospel

Passage: Romans 10:1-11

I thought it would be a good close of this Lord's Day to give you the three points of this morning's sermon on the above passage of Scripture. In this passage, the Apostle Paul was referring to his people, the Israelites, but as our pastor said, it would apply to the people of today as well, even people who go to church Sunday after Sunday and who consider themselves religious:

1. Problem of their misguided faith.
They didn't know about God's righteousness, but instead were trying to establish their own. As Pastor R elaborated, we can do many things and still be lost. The truth is that only God is righteous and we are sinners, unable to do any good of our own strength. It's not about ME.

2. Solution to their flawed faith.
Christ is the goal; He gives sense to the law. Christ is the answer to it all; He is the only way to salvation. It's all about Him and His righteousness; He must be our all in all. (See also Colossians 2:1-3)

3. Evidence of true saving faith.
Confession: acknowledge my sin and His Lordship. Repudiate our sin for Jesus.

A simple exposition of the gospel. We have no righteousness of our own, so there is no good we can do to be saved. We must repent and believe in Christ alone. He has suffered for us at the cross of Calvary.

The true gospel is simple, but so beautiful.

The Finale and Crescendo

Our pastor has been preaching through 1 Thessalonians which, of course, brings us to the second coming of Christ. We've been looking at many Scriptures on the topic, including passages in Matthew and Revelation. I always get a little lost when the subject of eschatology comes up and our church as a whole does not focus on it, but we do know He IS coming again! And Pastor R. read this passage to conclude his sermon the last time, saying it was like the finale of a fireworks exhibition or the crescendo of a huge musical piece. When both those events happen, you know that "this is it;" this is the end and everything culminates in the majesty of it all. Can't you just here the boom, boom, boom of the sound? Don't the following words make you feel like standing and applauding, raising your arms in victory? Or do they bring fear to your heart, making you want to run away and hide? I hope the former. If not, please get that matter settled today.

And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood; and his name is called The Word of God. . . And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS. Rev. 19:11-13, 16.

Be Ready

Excerpt from today's sermon:

"For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout,with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God; and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words." 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18

He's coming again, folks. He said that no one knows the day nor the hour. So be watchful and be ready.

Death at Nain

And it came to pass the day after, that he went into a city called Nain; and many of his disciples went with him, and much people. Now when he came nigh to the gate of the city, behold, there was a dead man carried out, the only son of his mother, and she was a widow: and much people of the city was with her. And when the Lord saw her, he had compassion on her, and said unto her, Weep not. And he came and touched the bier: and they that bare him stood still. And he said, Young man, I say unto thee, Arise. And he that was dead sat up, and began to speak. And he delivered him to his mother. Luke 7:11-15

Our morning sermon yesterday was accompanied by tears being shed by the preacher and many of the hearers alike. You see, there were many words about dying and funerals. There were necessary words about sin, the cause of all the heartache. Pastor D. talked about the young man who died and about his mother. Much of the sermon tore at our hearts quite a bit. But like all good preaching, we were brought at last to Jesus, the One who conquered sin and death. As Pastor said, He is the central figure in the passage. He is the One who told the dead man to arise and the dead DID arise and was alive again. We were told once again, and may we never tire of hearing it, that this Jesus is the one and only deliverer from death and the grave.

And, we sang my favorite song that is so often sung at funerals in celebration of the homegoing of a believer: "The Sands of Time of Sinking." A blessed day indeed. My favorite stanza from that hymn:

O Christ, he is the fountain,
The deep sweet well of love!
The streams on earth I've tasted
More deep I'll drink above:
There to an ocean fullness
His mercy doth expand,
And glory, glory dwelleth
In Emmanuel's land.

So, death at Nain ended with victory at Nain. I would like to remind you dear ones once again that this same Jesus is ready and willing to save YOU from the consequences of YOUR sin if you but come to Him. If you already know Him, don't you agree that we have a mighty and compassionate Savior?

The Way of Sorrows

"And when they had mocked him, they took off the purple from him, and put his own clothes on him, and led him out to crucify him. And they compel one Simon of Cyrenian, who passed by, coming out of the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to bear his cross. And they bring him unto the place of Golgatha, which is, being interpreted, The place of the skull." Mark 15:20-22.

Sunday our sermon was entitled "The Via Dolorosa," as we finish up an extended series from the book of Mark. In these recent weeks, we've been looking closely at the passion of our Lord, timing it all to finish up on Easter Sunday with the resurrection account from Mark's gospel. Pastor R. said the meaning of this Latin phrase is "the way of sorrows," as we reflected on that mile long journey our Lord took from the governor's palace to the place of crucifixion. He needed help carrying his cross burden; Luke's gospel tells us of women weeping by the way; Luke also tells of two criminals who went on the same journey to be put to death along with Him.

It was a sad and painful journey. But at the end was triumph. This rendition of the song seems triumphant to me. Maybe rightfully so.

(Remember to turn off the sidebar music!)