sermon recaps
Sunday, January 29th, 2012
The Comeback Kid and The Coming Back King
Text: I Peter 2:25, Matthew 25:31-34
Throughout history people who have made a comeback are held in high regard. Whether a sports figure like John Elway, or a politician such as Abraham Lincoln; their ability to comeback is something Christians should notice. After many attempts to win a political office Abraham Lincoln was elected president at the age of sixty. Lincoln said, "My foot slipped from under me, knocking the other out of the way, but I recovered and said to myself, 'It's a slip and not a fall.'" He kept on running and made a comeback. Christians must keep on running. The more we run, the stronger we get. We must endure to the end, for in the end we will win and know that we have not run in vain. We should not be hindered by people as we run, for no one is worth our soul. When the Prodigal Son went astray and then made a comeback; his father, who had been continually looking for him, ran out to meet him. So it is with God. He is waiting for HIs children to make a comeback. We need only walk towards Him, and He will run to meet us. For of this one thing we can be sure; the King is coming. Jesus will make a comeback. He will descend from Heaven with a shout and we must ask ourselves, "Are we ready?" The question Jesus asked was this, "When the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on earth?" Christ wants us to be ready and is always calling back the backslider, the lukewarm, and those who have slipped and gone astray. Come back to Jesus.
Sunday, January 22nd, 2012
Fit Faith Fast - Fight for the Family
Text: I Peter 5:8, John 10:10, II Corinthians 11:12
The devil's agenda is clearly given in John 10. He comes to kill, steal, and destroy. He spends his time walking about looking for those who are weak whom he can easily target. His method for reaching his goal begins with division. He loves to divide families, which leaves our children vulnerable to his attacks. He loves to divide church families, for he knows a house divided against itself cannot stand. What are we to do to stop him? The antidote to foil his agenda is given in I Peter. We must be temperate with a calm collected spirit. We must be vigilant - watching, giving strict attention to; being cautious, looking for calamity. The devil preys on the smallest and the weakest, not spiritual giants. Prayer is essential. As a family we need to present a strong united front. There needs to be unity in the house of God always. To reach a lost and dying world we must root out any discord among ourselves. Just as parents are called to be an example to their children, older seasoned Christians are called to be an example to new believers. The enemy will linger hoping to move in on a younger weak one who may temporarily fall. We are are called to stand by each other and restore each other with a spirit of meekness. Yet we must be of a strong mind set concerning the devil. Do not fear the fight, for we know there are more with us than with the one who uses his devices in an attempt to divide, devour, and destroy. Fight for the victory belongs to us.
Sunday, January 15th, 2012
On Your Mark, Get Set, Go (Part 2)
Text: I Corinthians 9:24-27
In Part I of On Your Mark, Get Set, Go, it was established that our mark is a goal in the distance in front of us with one prize available which one will receive. So why must we all run? We are all part of one body (the body of Christ) running together to complete each other not compete against each other. We are running to obtain which in the Greek literally means to comprehend mentally. We have to have the right mind set to win. The battle must be first won mentally. Actual attaining follows mental obtaining. With our goal set, we must continue on and call things that aren’t as if they are. This does not mean that we are striving to attain salvation by works; for salvation comes to us by the blood of Jesus. However, in this battle we do strive against our flesh which must be mastered. This mastery comes by being temperate – exhibiting self control as Paul did crucifying his flesh daily hating the things that he once loved. As we abandon self serving hindrances our minds must be certain (made up) to live for God and serve Him alone daily. Conquered flesh is a necessity for we cannot go into this fight as a shadow boxer just beating the air. You see we battle against a very real enemy – we have to be well prepared to resist (stand against) at all times. Our battle gear should not be just on the surface but powerful “underprayer.” With our flesh under subjection which comes about through much “underprayer,” and with our souls under the blood of Jesus, we will not be cast away, but stand the test approved, obtaining the prize set before us. R U N? Sunday, January 8th, 2012
On Your Mark, Get Set, Go (Part 1)
Text: Philppians 3:13, 14, Luke 9:51, Mark 16:15
The concept of the way we began many childhood games is carried over into the reality of our adult lives. On your mark, get set, go! Are you on your mark? Are you set? Are you ready to go? Many times when we are on our mark we make the mistake of looking down which makes it very hard to move forward. We should hold our heads up looking straight forward as we race toward our goal. And what is our goal? We should be pressing toward the mark, the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. We should be set firmly just as Jesus was. He set His face to go to Jerusalem. He refused to turn and go back for He knew this was God’s plan for Him from the foundation of the world. He was born to die for all of us so that we may each have the awesome opportunity to go. And where are we going? Hopefully we each have accepted Christ plan of salvation and will go to Heaven one day. But while we are here, there are other places God’s Word tells us to go. Go to the lost. Go tell. Go preach. Go baptize. Go over. Go in. Go out. Go after. Go through. Go ye into all the world and preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ to every creature. It is time to go and we certainly need to be healthy to go and do all the things God has commanded us to do. We should be nourished in the Word exercising our mind and spirit. We must also push ourselves to the limit and exercise our bodies which are God’s temple.
Sunday, January 1st, 2012
He'll Heal and Restore Health
Text: III John 1:2, Isaiah 58:6, Isaiah 53:5
Today it is easy to find a lot of prosperity preaching. However, to be wealthy and not healthy is not very profitable. God wants us to prosper and be in health. We are told in Isaiah, if we fast the fast God has chosen that our health shall spring forth speedily. In Isaiah we also find that by His stripes we are healed. Healing and health go hand in hand. Jesus healed all manner of diseases; some which had been present since birth. Even though some ailments are caused by genetics, many are caused by poor choices we make. Our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit, and we should be mindful of how we use and abuse the temple. We are called to live a holy wholesome lifestyle which eliminated the need for healing of many things. We should strive to have diets that are healthy and balanced governed by God's laws - gluttony is a sin. To be overweight causes a multitude of health issues. To conquer this problem a lifestyle change is required. Exercise as well as a healthy diet is important as we begin this New Year. The fast God has chosen for this body of believers this year calls for (1) exercise and (2) good choices as we come before Him petitioning Him with (3) our prayers. Twenty minutes of daily prayer accompanied with twenty minutes of exercises for twenty minutes for twenty one days will add up to seven hours of exercise and seven hours of prayer. As we make the right choices about how we treat God's temple and how we live our daily lives,