Farmville community is reeling with the horrific murders of four people found dead in their home. This is a little too close for comfort and the reality of evil makes it easy to be afraid. After a restless night, I turned on the news, and then switched to a religious program. An old man was sitting on his chair, reading from Romans 12. As he read, my fear turned into determination. The simple powerful words that became life to me were these-"Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." We can do that. We can overcome this evil by doing good things and thinking good things.
I am always amazed at the creative and redemptive vengeance of God. Since He is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all we ask or think, I am just going to say here, that I think that God's greatest vengeance on the enemy of our souls would be to bring the murderer to Himself. It is the sick He came to save. None of us can deny the sickness of this young man. Jesus came for him. Jesus came for you. Jesus came for me. He died the same death for all of us. Even so, Lord Jesus, show your power. Avenge the work of the enemy and turn even this horror into a wonder so that all we can say is, "Holy, Holy, Holy. Holy is Your name. " This is my hope, and He is able to do more than I can possibly hope for. Holy, Holy God.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hab. 2:1,2-"I will stand my watch and set myself on the rampart, and watch to see what He will say to me, and what I will answer when I am corrected. Then the LORD answered me and said: "Write the vision and make it plain on tablets, that he may run who reads it."
God is raising up a people to stand guard over this evil society who can hear His voice and discern His ways.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If we are thirsty for water, we are already dehydrated.
In our Christian experience, we allow ourselves to get dehydrated.
Get prepared. Drink before you are thirsty.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The heart of man naturally becomes worse and worse.
Notice how it is the bad news that gets the most attention.
The grace and mercy of God is unspeakable.
It is supernatural. He pulls us out of the natural and brings us into the supernatural
to fulfill His calling in our lives.
But for the grace of God keeping us,
we are capable of doing any and every evil thing.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In Matt. 22, Jesus gave a new commandment-not a suggestion.
We are to love Him and to love our neighbor as ourselves.
We show how we love Jesus by how we love each other.
If we cannot show the love of God to each other,
then we should not say that we love Jesus.
We need to be intentional in our commitment to love one another.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
#1-Commandment
#2-Commission
Jesus says to go. Go do it. Go share.
It used to be 'doing' something just by going to church.
We have talents and giftings that He's given us.
He should get a return on what He's invested in us.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
#3-Restoration of hope
Faith, hope, and love abide. It has to stay there.
Hope is the energy behind your faith.
Hope is the energy behind your love.
Hope is the glue that holds your faith and love together.
We endure to the end by our hope.
Jer. 29:11-He gives us a future and a hope.
Heb. 6:19-This hope we have as an anchor to our souls...
1 Cor. 9:10-The plowman plows in hope...the thresher threshes in the hope of sharing his crops.
Hope is when this thing is going to come to pass.
Faith gets us started. We believe in the promises of God.
But sometimes our faith gets discouraged.
But God has given us this blessed hope.
There is coming a day...
Faith can be discouraged by our emotions
but hope is steadfast.
Sometimes we sit back and wait for our faith to do something.
Faith..hope...love...they abide.
If you have no hope, you are in trouble.
You end today.
Restore our hope. Some have said that there is no hope for America,...for my family,...for our finances. But my faith tells me that there will always be hope for America, my family and my finances.
My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus blood and righteousness...
I dare not trust the sweetest frame, but wholly lean on Jesus name/
Don't lose hope.
Watch for the little things that erode away your hope
just as a little water can erode away a big rock.
Guard your homes from the little things that erode.
The big things, you won't miss.
Watch out for the little things.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hope maketh not ashamed.
Hope keeps you from shame.
Monday, September 21, 2009
Sunday Sermon-Sept.13,2009
I've been without a computer for awhile and am typing this on a laptop. I like to process the sermon's quickly because my memory is keener with interpreting why I have written the notes I have written. I will do my best with last week's sermon notes.
This month's theme is "Farmville First."
Jesus told His disciples to be witnesses first in Jerusalem, their hometown.
It is hard to minister in one's hometown.
People know you there. You have to live what you talk.
When we learn to minister and use our gifts, talents, and service in Jerusalem, then God will open up the world to us-the world will yield its increase to us.
Psalms 67 talks about how the earth will yield her increase when all the peoples of the earth praise God. We can change our climate by our worship of God. When we praise Him and the earth yields its increase, God will bless us and all the ends of the earth will fear Him.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Pastor shared a thought from a book he is reading-"Leading on Empty." Adrenalin is to be used only in emergencies. Pastors use adrenalin too much. Being a pastor is like giving birth on a Sunday only to discover that on Monday, you are pregnant again.
We need to share our pastor's burden.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When you wake up in the morning, begin to thank God for His grace. In everything give thanks. Revival can happen when you and I learn to bless the Lord. God wants to open up the windows of Heaven to us evenmore than we want Him to open them up.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Psalms 133-It is good and pleasant for brethren to dwell together in unity. It is like precious anointing oil upon the head, running down Aaron's beard, down to the edge of his garments. It is like the dew on the mountains...Where there is unity, the Lord commands a blessing-life forevermore.
Unity is refreshing-like the breath of God. The fragrance of the Holy Spirit is like oil in our midst and our oils mixed together make a wonderful aroma that fills a room and spills over into a town.
The whole town will smell the fragrance of God as we dwell in unity.
When God pronounces a blessing, He gives a blessing. When God blesses us and we bless Him and we bless others, God also blesses them, and a community is changed.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Pastor challenged us to praise the Lord and worship Him and bless Him this week.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Only the truth can have a counterfeit. No one swears by Buddha or Mohammad.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A thought came to me as I watched someone worship God today. I will be honest and admit that I sometimes struggle with loving this person. The thought was this:"We should not withhold fellowship and love from anyone the Lord loves."
And an old chorus came to my mind during this sermon.
"Lift up your hands in the sanctuary..
Lift up your hands and bless the Lord...
And the Lord who made Heaven and earth...
Will bless you out of Zion."
This month's theme is "Farmville First."
Jesus told His disciples to be witnesses first in Jerusalem, their hometown.
It is hard to minister in one's hometown.
People know you there. You have to live what you talk.
When we learn to minister and use our gifts, talents, and service in Jerusalem, then God will open up the world to us-the world will yield its increase to us.
Psalms 67 talks about how the earth will yield her increase when all the peoples of the earth praise God. We can change our climate by our worship of God. When we praise Him and the earth yields its increase, God will bless us and all the ends of the earth will fear Him.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Pastor shared a thought from a book he is reading-"Leading on Empty." Adrenalin is to be used only in emergencies. Pastors use adrenalin too much. Being a pastor is like giving birth on a Sunday only to discover that on Monday, you are pregnant again.
We need to share our pastor's burden.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
When you wake up in the morning, begin to thank God for His grace. In everything give thanks. Revival can happen when you and I learn to bless the Lord. God wants to open up the windows of Heaven to us evenmore than we want Him to open them up.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Psalms 133-It is good and pleasant for brethren to dwell together in unity. It is like precious anointing oil upon the head, running down Aaron's beard, down to the edge of his garments. It is like the dew on the mountains...Where there is unity, the Lord commands a blessing-life forevermore.
Unity is refreshing-like the breath of God. The fragrance of the Holy Spirit is like oil in our midst and our oils mixed together make a wonderful aroma that fills a room and spills over into a town.
The whole town will smell the fragrance of God as we dwell in unity.
When God pronounces a blessing, He gives a blessing. When God blesses us and we bless Him and we bless others, God also blesses them, and a community is changed.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Pastor challenged us to praise the Lord and worship Him and bless Him this week.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Only the truth can have a counterfeit. No one swears by Buddha or Mohammad.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
A thought came to me as I watched someone worship God today. I will be honest and admit that I sometimes struggle with loving this person. The thought was this:"We should not withhold fellowship and love from anyone the Lord loves."
And an old chorus came to my mind during this sermon.
"Lift up your hands in the sanctuary..
Lift up your hands and bless the Lord...
And the Lord who made Heaven and earth...
Will bless you out of Zion."
Spiritual Disciplines
I've been thinking about how important the role discipleship plays in our personal and corporate lives. I have two books that I want to read in conjunction with each other. I found both at a thrift store and they are real treasures. "Celebration of Discipline" by Richard J. Foster is one of them and the other is entitled "Disciplines For the Inner Life" by Bob Benson and Michael W. Benson.
Foster organizes the disciplines like this:
The Inward Disciplines-Meditation, Prayer, Fasting, and Study
The Outward Disciplines-Simplicity, Solitude, Submission, and Service
The Corporate Disciplines-Confession, Worship, Guidance, and Celebration
He dedicates a chapter to each separate discipline.
The other book is set up as a one year devotional book with various readings from the scriptures, a hymn, and a number of meditations to read each week on a particular subject of discipline.
I read a quote from the Benson book, by Richard Foster, on the discipline of study, and this is what has motivated me to begin working on these disciplines.
"Many Christians remain in bondage to fears and anxieties simply because they do not avail themselves of the Discipline of study. They may be faithful in church attendance and earnest in fulfilling their religious duties and still they are not changed....They may sing with gusto; pray in the Spirit, live as obediently as they know, even receive divine visions and revelations; and yet the tenor of their lives remains unchanged. Why? Because they have never taken up one of the central ways God uses to change us: study. Jesus made it unmistakeably clear that it is the knowledge of the truth that will set us free."
The Benson book goes beyond the disciplines and addressed the obstacles of the Inner Life.
These obstacles include the will, doubts, temptations, distractions, anxiety, consciousness, time management, etc. It goes on to teach patterns for living inwardly which include 'The Lord's Prayer,' The Lord's supper, The Beatitudes, The parables, and The Jesus Prayer.
It also teaches that the Inward Graces of the Centered Life are humility, obedience, simplicity, the mind of Christ, generosity, truthfulness, purity, and charity and that the outward fruits of the inner life are service, growth, liberty, commitment, priority, compassion, lifestyle, awareness, celebration, and gratitude.
I don't normally give a book report before I've read a book, but this may take me a year or two and I will be sharing quotes from time to time. Will you join me in putting my roots down deeper into the vast and unending nature of God? His ways are past finding out, but I sure am going to try. The more you know of Him, the more you know you don't know and the more you want to know.
Foster organizes the disciplines like this:
The Inward Disciplines-Meditation, Prayer, Fasting, and Study
The Outward Disciplines-Simplicity, Solitude, Submission, and Service
The Corporate Disciplines-Confession, Worship, Guidance, and Celebration
He dedicates a chapter to each separate discipline.
The other book is set up as a one year devotional book with various readings from the scriptures, a hymn, and a number of meditations to read each week on a particular subject of discipline.
I read a quote from the Benson book, by Richard Foster, on the discipline of study, and this is what has motivated me to begin working on these disciplines.
"Many Christians remain in bondage to fears and anxieties simply because they do not avail themselves of the Discipline of study. They may be faithful in church attendance and earnest in fulfilling their religious duties and still they are not changed....They may sing with gusto; pray in the Spirit, live as obediently as they know, even receive divine visions and revelations; and yet the tenor of their lives remains unchanged. Why? Because they have never taken up one of the central ways God uses to change us: study. Jesus made it unmistakeably clear that it is the knowledge of the truth that will set us free."
The Benson book goes beyond the disciplines and addressed the obstacles of the Inner Life.
These obstacles include the will, doubts, temptations, distractions, anxiety, consciousness, time management, etc. It goes on to teach patterns for living inwardly which include 'The Lord's Prayer,' The Lord's supper, The Beatitudes, The parables, and The Jesus Prayer.
It also teaches that the Inward Graces of the Centered Life are humility, obedience, simplicity, the mind of Christ, generosity, truthfulness, purity, and charity and that the outward fruits of the inner life are service, growth, liberty, commitment, priority, compassion, lifestyle, awareness, celebration, and gratitude.
I don't normally give a book report before I've read a book, but this may take me a year or two and I will be sharing quotes from time to time. Will you join me in putting my roots down deeper into the vast and unending nature of God? His ways are past finding out, but I sure am going to try. The more you know of Him, the more you know you don't know and the more you want to know.
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