May 12 - “Women of God Moving from Fear to Faith”– Deacon Paula Smith-Sawyer

Esther 4: 6 – 17 

Mordecai Persuades Esther to Help

⁶ So Hathak went out to Mordecai in the open square of the city in front of the king’s gate. ⁷ Mordecai told him everything that had happened to him, including the exact amount of money Haman had promised to pay into the royal treasury for the destruction of the Jews. ⁸ He also gave him a copy of the text of the edict for their annihilation, which had been published in Susa, to show to Esther and explain it to her, and he told him to instruct her to go into the king’s presence to beg for mercy and plead with him for her people.⁹ Hathak went back and reported to Esther what Mordecai had said. ¹⁰ Then she instructed him to say to Mordecai, ¹¹ “All the king’s officials and the people of the royal provinces know that for any man or woman who approaches the king in the inner court without being summoned the king has but one law: that they be put to death unless the king extends the gold scepter to them and spares their lives. But thirty days have passed since I was called to go to the king.”¹² When Esther’s words were reported to Mordecai, ¹³ he sent back this answer: “Do not think that because you are in the king’s house you alone of all the Jews will escape. ¹⁴ For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?”¹⁵ Then Esther sent this reply to Mordecai:

 ¹⁶ “Go, gather together all the Jews who are in Susa, and fast for me. Do not eat or drink for three days, night or day. I and my attendants will fast as you do. When this is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish.”¹⁷ So Mordecai went away and carried out all of Esther’s instructions.

Sermon Title: “Women of God Moving from Fear to Faith”

 The book of Esther gives a great example of a woman who faced fears and uncertainties.  Initially plagued by fear, Esther demonstrates to us how God can use us where he places us and help us to move from fear to faith.

Esther teaches us that:

·        You don’t have to look like or act like where you have been.

·        You are loved by God despite your situation.

·        You have been positioned for God’s purpose and plan.

• You will see your deliverance from bondage

May 5 - “Lord, Teach us to Pray”

Luke 11: 1-13    Jesus’ Teaching on Prayer

11 One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.”

² He said to them, “When you pray, say:

“‘Father,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come.
³ Give us each day our daily bread.
⁴ Forgive us our sins,
for we also forgive everyone who sins against us.
And lead us not into temptation. ’”but deliver us from the evil one.

⁵ Then Jesus said to them, “Suppose you have a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread; ⁶ a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have no food to offer him.’ ⁷ And suppose the one inside answers, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is already locked, and my children and I are in bed. I can’t get up and give you anything.’ ⁸ I tell you, even though he will not get up and give you the bread because of friendship, yet because of your shameless audacity he will surely get up and give you as much as you need.

⁹ “So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. ¹⁰ For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.

¹¹ “Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? ¹² Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? ¹³ If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

 Sermon Title: “Lord, Teach us to Pray”

In Luke we find a shortened version of the Lord’s Prayer, many Bible Scholars tell us that this is probably the most authentic version…..The fuller and more familiar version provided by Matthew is thought to be a later expanded version. Jesus models three things about prayer we all should remember.

• Prayer should be Real

• Prayer should be Persistent

• Prayer should be Expectant

1. Prayer should be real and brief dealing with the realities of life,
2. Jesus emphasized persistence, and goes on to tell the story about a man awakened by his friend’s knock. At first, he is reluctant to respond but due to the neighbor’s persistent knock he responded.
3. Jesus teaches to pray expectantly. We are to expect miracles and answers, because of the nature of the one to whom we pray. Prayer with no expectations of God is void of substance.

The pattern for prayer Jesus gives here has six separate ingredients. The way to remember is to think of the acronym for the author of the prayer.   CHRIST… 

C represents concentrate…concentrate on the person you are praying to and not the prayer.

H is for Hallelujah, Jesus says hallowed be thy name, meaning Holy be thy name. Hallowed defines the person of God. To this ultimate Holy person we respond Glory Hallelujah!

R stands for ruler. Jesus simply says thy Kingdom come, God is the ruler of that Kingdom

I is for I need and I feed. Jesus said give us this day our daily bread. We are Praying God give me what I need, God feed me.

S is for Savior, when you pray affirm that God is your Savior in Jesus Christ. Jesus says in his prayer that God will forgive us for our sins. We cannot live one single day without sinning by omission or commission.

T is for triumph over temptation. Lead us not into temptation, says Jesus.

Distinctions of Christian Prayer

1. Our direct communication with God.  Talking with and listening to God are both important aspects of prayer.
2. Our belief in the character and nature of our God.  The God we serve is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  All three aspects of God’s character have a deep affect on our prayers.
3. Our relationship with Jesus Christ.  Christian prayer must be based on God the Son.  (Hebrews 1:3)
4. Our acknowledgement of the Holy Spirit, also deeply affects our prayer life.  Understanding the person and work of the Holy Spirit is vital to our practice of prayer. 
5. Christian prayer is

·         To the Father

·         Through the Son

·         In the power of the Holy Spirit

 St. Theresa’s Prayer

May today there be peace within.  May you trust God that you are exactly where you are meant to be.  May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith.  May you use those gifts that you have received, and pass on the love that has been given to you….May you be content knowing you are a child of God….Let this presence settle into your bones, and allow your soul the freedom to sing, dance, praise and love.  It is there for each and every one of us.

April 28 - “I Quit”

John 8:21-32     The Dispute Over Who Jesus Is

²¹ Once more Jesus said to them, “I am going away, and you will look for me, and you will die in your sin. Where I go, you cannot come.” ²² This made the Jews ask, “Will he kill himself? Is that why he says, ‘Where I go, you cannot come’?”

²³ But he continued, “You are from below; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. ²⁴ I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am he, you will indeed die in your sins.”

²⁵ “Who are you?” they asked. “Just what I have been telling you from the beginning,” Jesus replied. ²⁶ “I have much to say in judgment of you. But he who sent me is trustworthy, and what I have heard from him I tell the world.”

²⁷ They did not understand that he was telling them about his Father. ²⁸ So Jesus said, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he and that I do nothing on my own but speak just what the Father has taught me. ²⁹ The one who sent me is with me; he has not left me alone, for I always do what pleases him.” ³⁰ Even as he spoke, many believed in him.³¹ To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. ³² Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

Sermon Title: “I Quit”

In this passage of scripture Jesus makes it clear the terms of discipleship for those who believed Him. He does not seek short-term followers, easy starters who will fall by the wayside. We must abide in His word if we are going to be a part of His Family.

Disciples of Jesus must not only hear what he teaches, but abide in His Word, be at home in it! This means not only hearing, but obeying Him, sitting at His feet, living under His Authority.

What is the Truth?

The Gospel of John builds on the ot understanding that God is true or real (John 3:33; 7:28). Christ reveals God and thus reveals truth (John 8:26, 40; 18:37). Since Christ shares in God’s truth, he is himself full of grace and truth (John 1:14, 17). Indeed, he is ‘the way, and the truth, and the life’ (John 14:6); he is the true light and the true vine (John 1:9; 15:1). Christ sends the Counselor, the Spirit of truth (John 15:26). Thus, the ot understanding of God as truth extends to Christ and the Holy Spirit. The believer is guided into truth (John 16:13), to worship God in spirit and truth (John 4:23-24). Doing Christ’s word enables one to know the truth and so be free (John 8:32). This Christian freedom is not due to possession of correct knowledge but rather comes from relationship to that which is truly real, namely, God.     J.D.

April 21 - “Jesus encounters a nagging Woman”

Matthew 15:21-28 The Faith of a Canaanite Woman

²¹ Leaving that place, Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. ²² A Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him, crying out, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is demon-possessed and suffering terribly.”

²³ Jesus did not answer a word. So his disciples came to him and urged him, “Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us.”

²⁴ He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.”

²⁵ The woman came and knelt before him. “Lord, help me!” she said.

²⁶ He replied, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.”

²⁷ “Yes it is, Lord,” she said. “Even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.”

²⁸ Then Jesus said to her, “Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.” And her daughter was healed at that moment.

Sermon Title: “Jesus encounters a nagging Woman”

In this text Jesus journeyed west toward the region of Tyre and Sidon. Although a region not originally included in his ministry, He went there to provide opportunity for persons to hear and respond.

In verse 22 we read that a Gentile woman, a woman of Canaan came to meet Him as she cried out for help for her daughter. She addressed Jesus as Lord, and as the Son of David but Jesus ignored her. As we follow the story notice four interacting scenes:

1)           The woman’s request

2)          The rejection from Jesus

3)          The woman’s reaction

4)          The response of Jesus

Jesus expressed the common Jewish attitude toward Gentiles, saying “it is not good to throw the children’s bread to the little dogs.” She responded by saying in essence, “Yes, Master, what you say is true, but the little dogs still eat the crumbs that fall from the master’s table.”

April 14 - “No Longer on my Own”

Acts 6: 1-7       The Choosing of the Seven

6 In those days when the number of disciples was increasing, the Hellenistic Jews among them complained against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food.

² So the Twelve gathered all the disciples together and said, “It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables.

 ³ Brothers and sisters, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them ⁴ and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word.”

⁵ This proposal pleased the whole group. They chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit; also Philip, Procorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas from Antioch, a convert to Judaism. ⁶ They presented these men to the apostles, who prayed and laid their hands on them.

⁷ So the word of God spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly, and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith.

 Sermon Title: “No Longer on my Own”

Three major challenges faced the early church which led to the seven being chosen as servants.

1. The surfacing of Discrimination
2. The Temptation of Professionalism
3. The Challenge of Prioritization

The origin of Deacon — Anglicized form of the Greek word diaconos, meaning a “runner,” “messenger,” “servant.” For a long period a feeling of mutual jealousy had existed between the “Hebrews,” or Jews proper, who spoke the sacred language of Palestine, and the “Hellenists,” or Jews of the Grecian speech, who had adopted the Grecian language, and read the Septuagint version of the Bible instead of the Hebrew.

April 7 - “Clothed with Power from on High”

Old Testament: Psalm 150

¹ Praise the Lord.

Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens.
² Praise him for his acts of power; praise him for his surpassing greatness. ³ Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet, praise him with the harp and lyre, ⁴ praise him with timbrel and dancing, praise him with the strings and pipe, ⁵ praise him with the clash of cymbals, praise him with resounding cymbals. ⁶ Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord.

New Testament: Luke 24:36-49

³⁶ While they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.”³⁷ They were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost. ³⁸ He said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds? ³⁹ Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have.” ⁴⁰ When he had said this, he showed them his hands and feet. ⁴¹ And while they still did not believe it because of joy and amazement, he asked them, “Do you have anything here to eat?” ⁴² They gave him a piece of broiled fish, ⁴³ and he took it and ate it in their presence.⁴⁴ He said to them, “This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.”⁴⁵ Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. ⁴⁶ He told them, “This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, ⁴⁷ and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. ⁴⁸ You are witnesses of these things. ⁴⁹ I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.”

Sermon Title: “Clothed with Power from on High”

LUKE TELLS A STORY THAT HAS THREE MAJOR MOVEMENTS,

Ø  THE PROOF OF THE RESURRECTION,

Ø  JESUS' COMMISSION TO THE DISCIPLES (THIS IS WHAT YOU NEED TO DO)

Ø  JESUS GIVES A PARTING BLESSING

 1)            JESUS SPOKE UNTO THEM SAYING THESE ARE THE WORDS WHICH I SPOKE UNTO YOU, WHILE I WAS YET WITH YOU, THAT ALL THINGS MUST BE FULFILLED, WHICH WERE WRITTEN IN THE LAW OF MOSES, AND IN THE PROPHETS, AND IN THE PSALMS,

 2)           SECONDLY, JESUS OPENED THEIR MINDS TO UNDERSTAND THE SCRIPTURES, OUR MINDS MUST ALWAYS BE EXPECTANT AND IN TOUCH WITH THE TEACHINGS OF JESUS,

3)           THIRDLY, JESUS SAID THE REPENTANCE AND FORGIVENESS OF SINS SHOULD BE  PREACHED IN HIS NAME, TO ALL NATIONS BEGINNING IN JERUSALEM,

4)        ON A FINAL NOTE, JESUS DELIVERS A MESSAGE TO THE CHURCH AS HE DEFINES THE WORK OF THE CHURCH. JESUS SAID YOU ARE NOW MY WITNESSES; SEE TO IT THAT YOU DO WORK.

March 31 - Easter - “On the Third Day”

Old Testament          Isaiah 25:6-9

⁶ On this mountain the Lord Almighty will prepare a feast of rich food for all peoples, a banquet of aged wine—the best of meats and the finest of wines. ⁷ On this mountain he will destroy the shroud that enfolds all peoples, the sheet that covers all nations; ⁸ he will swallow up death forever. The Sovereign Lord will wipe away the tears from all faces; he will remove his people’s disgrace from all the earth. The Lord has spoken.

⁹ In that day they will say, “Surely this is our God; we trusted in him, and he saved us. This is the Lord, we trusted in him; let us rejoice and be glad in his salvation.”

New Testament         1 Corinthians 15: 1-4

15 Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. ² By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. ³ For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, ⁴ that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.

 Sermon Title: “On the Third Day”

There are three things we must do to experience the real resurrection power of Easter: We must:

A) Acknowledge the Good News of the Gospel (the content)

B) Believe the Message of the Gospel (absorb it)

C) Celebrate the Power and Victory (the deliverance power)

There are 3 important points to remember…

1)    Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures

2)   Christ was buried according to the Scriptures

3)   Christ rose on the third day according to the Scriptures

Resurrection is a rising to life from death, Synonyms for Resurrection are revival, reanimation, rebirth, renaissance, renascence, resurgence, resuscitation, revivification, reviviscence.

The concept of resurrection is derived from Jewish apocalyptic literature. In earlier ot writings there is no belief in life after death as noted in (Psalm 115:17.)  ¹⁶The highest heavens belong to the LORD, but the earth he has given to man. ¹⁷ It is not the dead who praise the LORD, those who go down to silence;

When eventually this belief developed it was in the form of the resurrection of the dead, rather than of the immortality of the soul (Isa. 26:19; Dan. 12:2).

Resurrection is to be distinguished from resuscitation or reanimation of the physical body. It denotes a complete transformation of the human being in his or her psychosomatic totality (1 Cor. 15:53-55).

March 17:  "Seeing Beyond the Natural"

Old Testament         2 Kings 4:16-37

¹⁶ “About this time next year,” Elisha said, “you will hold a son in your arms.”

“No, my lord!” she objected. “Please, man of God, don’t mislead your servant!”

¹⁷ But the woman became pregnant, and the next year about that same time she gave birth to a son, just as Elisha had told her.

¹⁸ The child grew, and one day he went out to his father, who was with the reapers. ¹⁹ He said to his father, “My head! My head!”

His father told a servant, “Carry him to his mother.” ²⁰ After the servant had lifted him up and carried him to his mother, the boy sat on her lap until noon, and then he died. ²¹ She went up and laid him on the bed of the man of God, then shut the door and went out.

²² She called her husband and said, “Please send me one of the servants and a donkey so I can go to the man of God quickly and return.”

²³ “Why go to him today?” he asked. “It’s not the New Moon or the Sabbath.”

“That’s all right,” she said.

²⁴ She saddled the donkey and said to her servant, “Lead on; don’t slow down for me unless I tell you.” ²⁵ So she set out and came to the man of God at Mount Carmel.

When he saw her in the distance, the man of God said to his servant Gehazi, “Look! There’s the Shunammite! ²⁶ Run to meet her and ask her, ‘Are you all right? Is your husband all right? Is your child all right?’”

“Everything is all right,” she said.

²⁷ When she reached the man of God at the mountain, she took hold of his feet. Gehazi came over to push her away, but the man of God said, “Leave her alone! She is in bitter distress, but the Lord has hidden it from me and has not told me why.”

²⁸ “Did I ask you for a son, my lord?” she said. “Didn’t I tell you, ‘Don’t raise my hopes’?”

²⁹ Elisha said to Gehazi, “Tuck your cloak into your belt, take my staff in your hand and run. Don’t greet anyone you meet, and if anyone greets you, do not answer. Lay my staff on the boy’s face.”

³⁰ But the child’s mother said, “As surely as the Lord lives and as you live, I will not leave you.” So he got up and followed her.

³¹ Gehazi went on ahead and laid the staff on the boy’s face, but there was no sound or response. So Gehazi went back to meet Elisha and told him, “The boy has not awakened.”

³² When Elisha reached the house, there was the boy lying dead on his couch. ³³ He went in, shut the door on the two of them and prayed to the Lord. ³⁴ Then he got on the bed and lay on the boy, mouth to mouth, eyes to eyes, hands to hands. As he stretched himself out on him, the boy’s body grew warm. ³⁵ Elisha turned away and walked back and forth in the room and then got on the bed and stretched out on him once more. The boy sneezed seven times and opened his eyes.

³⁶ Elisha summoned Gehazi and said, “Call the Shunammite.” And he did. When she came, he said, “Take your son.” ³⁷ She came in, fell at his feet and bowed to the ground. Then she took her son and went out.

New Testament                2 Corinthians 4:11-18

¹¹ For we who are alive are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that his life may also be revealed in our mortal body. ¹² So then, death is at work in us, but life is at work in you.

¹³ It is written: “I believed; therefore I have spoken.” Since we have that same spirit of faith, we also believe and therefore speak, ¹⁴ because we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you to himself. ¹⁵ All this is for your benefit, so that the grace that is reaching more and more people may cause thanksgiving to overflow to the glory of God.

¹⁶ Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. ¹⁷ For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. ¹⁸ So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

Sermon Title:  Seeing Beyond the Natural

Ø  God rewards those who are faithful and willing to walk in Faith…

Ø  The Eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and his ears are open to their cry (Psalm 34:15)…

Ø  A rod in the hand of a weak bearer cannot work miracles, we must believe…

Ø  Faith opens the door for miracles to occur in our lives and others around us…

March 10:  "HELP YOURSELF!!" – Robert Knowles 

Matthew 8:5-10 

⁵ And when Jesus was entered into Capernaum, there came unto him a centurion, beseeching him, ⁶ And saying, Lord, my servant lieth at home sick of the palsy, grievously tormented.  ⁷ And Jesus saith unto him, I will come and heal him.  ⁸ The centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof: but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed.  ⁹ For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this man, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it.  ¹⁰ When Jesus heard it, he marvelled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.

Matthew 8:19-20

¹⁹ And a certain scribe came, and said unto him, Master, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest.  ²⁰ And Jesus saith unto him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head.

Matthew 8:23-26

²³ And when he was entered into a ship, his disciples followed him.  ²⁴ And, behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves: but he was asleep.  ²⁵ And his disciples came to him, and awoke him, saying, Lord, save us: we perish.  ²⁶ And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith? Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm.

Matthew 9:2-6

² And, behold, they brought to him a man sick of the palsy, lying on a bed: and Jesus seeing their faith said unto the sick of the palsy; Son, be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee.  ³ And, behold, certain of the scribes said within themselves, This man blasphemeth.  ⁴ And Jesus knowing their thoughts said, Wherefore think ye evil in your hearts?  ⁵ For whether is easier, to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and walk?  ⁶ But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (then saith he to the sick of the palsy,) Arise, take up thy bed, and go unto thine house.

1 Corinthians 12:1, 4-6

 Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant.

⁴ Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit.  ⁵ And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord.  ⁶ And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all.

Matthew 14:14-21

¹⁴ And Jesus went forth, and saw a great multitude, and was moved with compassion toward them, and he healed their sick.  ¹⁵ And when it was evening, his disciples came to him, saying, This is a desert place, and the time is now past; send the multitude away, that they may go into the villages, and buy themselves victuals.  ¹⁶ But Jesus said unto them, They need not depart; give ye them to eat.  ¹⁷ And they say unto him, We have here but five loaves, and two fishes.  ¹⁸ He said, Bring them hither to me.  ¹⁹ And he commanded the multitude to sit down on the grass, and took the five loaves, and the two fishes, and looking up to heaven, he blessed, and brake, and gave the loaves to his disciples, and the disciples to the multitude.  ²⁰ And they did all eat, and were filled: and they took up of the fragments that remained twelve baskets full.  ²¹ And they that had eaten were about five thousand men, beside women and children.

 Sermon Title - "HELP YOURSELF!!" – Robert Knowles 

1. We must know our authority and the authority we represent.

2. We must not be ignorant of Spiritual gifts and their value to the Body of Christ.

3. We are to be the miracle workers for God on earth today.

March 3:  With Jesus, Satisfaction is Guaranteed!

Isaiah 55:1-6             Invitation to the Thirsty

“Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost. ² Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and you will delight in the richest of fare.³ Give ear and come to me; listen, that you may live. I will make an everlasting covenant with you, my faithful love promised to David. ⁴ See, I have made him a witness to the peoples, a ruler and commander of the peoples. ⁵ Surely you will summon nations you know not, and nations you do not know will come running to you, because of the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, for he has endowed you with splendor.” ⁶ Seek the Lord while he may be found; call on him while he is near.

Matthew 14: 13-21              Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand

¹³ When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place. Hearing of this, the crowds followed him on foot from the towns. ¹⁴ When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick.

¹⁵ As evening approached, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a remote place, and it’s already getting late. Send the crowds away, so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food.” ¹⁶ Jesus replied, “They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.” ¹⁷ “We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish,” they answered.

¹⁸ “Bring them here to me,” he said. ¹⁹ And he directed the people to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. ²⁰ They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. ²¹ The number of those who ate was about five thousand men, besides women and children.

Sermon Title: With Jesus, Satisfaction is Guaranteed!

The purpose of Matthew’s Gospel is to present Jesus as King (King of Israel, King of Kings, King of all creation).

In chapter 14, we see the retreat of the King as Jesus pulls away from the crowds to share essential principles with His disciples. Jesus had need of solitude, but when He saw the crowd, Matthew writes He was “moved with compassion, and he healed their sick.”

Ø  Jesus took limited resources (five loaves and two fish) blessed them, gave them out and fed five thousand. In the Lord’s hand, a little goes a long way if you will let Him bless you and break you.

Ø  Before the Lord can use a person greatly, He must allow them to be broken deeply. There is no other way, pride must go, Self-sufficiency must die to make way for tenderness and compassion that comes only through the breaking process.

Ø  Jesus gave a charge to the disciples, “You give them something to eat.” The source of the feeding is God, but the resources are human.

February 24:  “Life Will Make You Cry”

Old Testament      Exodus 14: 13-18

¹³ Moses answered the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. ¹⁴ The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.”

¹⁵ Then the Lord said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to move on. ¹⁶ Raise your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea to divide the water so that the Israelites can go through the sea on dry ground. ¹⁷ I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they will go in after them. And I will gain glory through Pharaoh and all his army, through his chariots and his horsemen. ¹⁸ The Egyptians will know that I am the Lord when I gain glory through Pharaoh, his chariots and his horsemen.”

New Testament     Matthew 14:22-29

²² Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. ²³ After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. Later that night, he was there alone, ²⁴ and the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it.²⁵ Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. ²⁶ When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear.

²⁷ But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”

²⁸ “Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.”²⁹ “Come,” he said. 

Sermon Title:    “Life Will Make You Cry”

In chapter 14 there are two major themes that mark the stories of the wandering in the wilderness; namely, Israel’s complaints against Moses and the Lord, and the Lord’s miraculous care.

The Book of Exodus covers a crucial period in Israel's history, The Bible’s entire message of redemption grows out of the covenant relationship between God and the people described in this book.  The Exodus is one of the great miracles of the Old Testament, it is a story with two major themes, one being redemption (in the Old Testament redemption means deliverance, or release from some type of bondage).

The Exodus is an illustration of God’s personal power and God’s ability to save and protect his people.

The lessons we learn from this text:

1.  We must follow GOD'S INSTRUCTIONS - GOD ALWAYS GOES BEFORE US, GOD IS NEVER LATE,

2.  We must avoid living in a state of FEAR because Fear produces an unstable mind.

3.  We must remember God’s perfect record of fighting and winning in battle.

4.  We must remember God expects us to participate in our deliverance. 

February 17:  “Set Free” – Rev. Julie Bell

Old Testament: Isaiah 58: 13-14 (NIV)

¹³ “If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath and from doing as you please on my holy day, if you call the Sabbath a delight and the Lord’s holy day honorable, and if you honor it by not going your own way and not doing as you please or speaking idle words, ¹⁴ then you will find your joy in the Lord, and I will cause you to ride in triumph on the heights of the land and to feast on the inheritance of your father Jacob.” For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.

New Testament: Luke 13: 10-17 (NIV)

¹⁰ On a Sabbath Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues, ¹¹ and a woman was there who had been crippled by a spirit for eighteen years. She was bent over and could not straighten up at all. ¹² When Jesus saw her, he called her forward and said to her, “Woman, you are set free from your infirmity.” ¹³ Then he put his hands on her, and immediately she straightened up and praised God.

¹⁴ Indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, the synagogue leader said to the people, “There are six days for work. So come and be healed on those days, not on the Sabbath.”

¹⁵ The Lord answered him, “You hypocrites! Doesn’t each of you on the Sabbath untie your ox or donkey from the stall and lead it out to give it water? ¹⁶ Then should not this woman, a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has kept bound for eighteen long years, be set free on the Sabbath day from what bound her?”

¹⁷ When he said this, all his opponents were humiliated, but the people were delighted with all the wonderful things he was doing. 

Sermon Title: “Set Free” – Rev. Julie Bell

Free:  Not under the control of some other person or power. 

1. Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.
2. God will deliver in his time.
3. God is always watching us.
4. Some people will be jealous when God delivers you.
5. You should Praise God when He delivers you.

February 10:  “The Redeeming Power of Love”

Old Testament                Hosea 3:1-5

3 The Lord said to me, “Go, show your love to your wife again, though she is loved by another man and is an adulteress. Love her as the Lord loves the Israelites, though they turn to other gods and love the sacred raisin cakes.”

² So I bought her for fifteen shekels of silver and about a homer and a lethek of barley. ³ Then I told her, “You are to live with me many days; you must not be a prostitute or be intimate with any man, and I will behave the same way toward you.”

⁴ For the Israelites will live many days without king or prince, without sacrifice or sacred stones, without ephod or household gods. ⁵ Afterward the Israelites will return and seek the Lord their God and David their king. They will come trembling to the Lord and to his blessings in the last days.

New Testament:              1 Corinthians 13:1-13

13 If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. ² If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. ³ If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.

⁴ Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. ⁵ It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. ⁶ Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. ⁷ It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

⁸ Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. ⁹ For we know in part and we prophesy in part, ¹⁰ but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. ¹¹ When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. ¹² For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

¹³ And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

Sermon Title: “The Redeeming Power of Love”

In God’s eyes, we are His children and He loves us as we love our own children. A love connection with God should be our primary focus in life and chief end. If we are made in the image of God, it only makes sense to conclude that we are capable of responding to God’s love. Research reveals that not only does man have the potential for responding to the love of God but, in fact, man is not fully content until he has made a love connection with God.

Saint Augustine reminded us that man never truly finds ultimate meaning until he responds to the love of God.

In the Hosea text the prophet receives one profound command to go and reconcile with his wife who is in an adulterous relationship. He is told to act, not react. He is to love Gomer rather than take revenge.

Hosea’s marriage to Gomer was a living example to the nation of Israel of its infidelity toward God. Whenever we stray away God wants us to return to Him because he loves us. While we were still sinners, God sent His Son Jesus, who gave His life for us (Romans 5:8).

February 3:  “Jesus stirs things up, again!”

Old Testament:                     Jeremiah 1: 4-10

⁴ The word of the Lord came to me, saying,

⁵ “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”

⁶ “Alas, Sovereign Lord,” I said, “I do not know how to speak; I am too young.”

⁷ But the Lord said to me, “Do not say, ‘I am too young.’ You must go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you. ⁸ Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you and will rescue you,” declares the Lord.

⁹ Then the Lord reached out his hand and touched my mouth and said to me, “I have put my words in your mouth. ¹⁰ See, today I appoint you over nations and kingdoms to uproot and tear down, to destroy and overthrow, to build and to plant.”

New Testament:                   Luke 4: 21-30

²¹ He began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”

²² All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his lips. “Isn’t this Joseph’s son?” they asked.

²³ Jesus said to them, “Surely you will quote this proverb to me: ‘Physician, heal yourself!’ And you will tell me, ‘Do here in your hometown what we have heard that you did in Capernaum.’”

²⁴ “Truly I tell you,” he continued, “no prophet is accepted in his hometown. ²⁵ I assure you that there were many widows in Israel in Elijah’s time, when the sky was shut for three and a half years and there was a severe famine throughout the land. ²⁶ Yet Elijah was not sent to any of them, but to a widow in Zarephath in the region of Sidon. ²⁷ And there were many in Israel with leprosy in the time of Elisha the prophet, yet not one of them was cleansed—only Naaman the Syrian.”

²⁸ All the people in the synagogue were furious when they heard this. ²⁹ They got up, drove him out of the town, and took him to the brow of the hill on which the town was built, in order to throw him off the cliff. ³⁰ But he walked right through the crowd and went on his way.

Sermon Title: “Jesus stirs things up, again!”

Luke shares with us that Jesus returned to his home town of Nazareth and went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day. When Jesus returned home with a new identity he received mixed reviews from the people in Nazareth. They did not understand the extraordinary work that had been done in Capernaum.

There are three pivotal points:

Ø   When personal and social concerns are addressed for God’s people God’s Spirit is at work.  

Ø   In these verses, Jesus communicates the basic idea that salvation is here and now. The synagogue  had lost its relevance to the everyday and was concerned about the cultivation of mind and soul through study. Jesus talked about God in the present and said today this scripture is fulfilled. Now is the acceptable hour! 

Ø   Jesus told his audience that there would be consequences for the choices they make and they would be held accountable or rejecting him.

January 27:  “When Life gets tough, Remember”

Old Testament           Psalm 27

¹ The Lord is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life—of whom shall I be afraid? ² When evil men advance against me to devour my flesh, when my enemies and my foes attack me, they will stumble and fall. ³ Though an army besiege me, my heart will not fear; though war break out against me, even then will I be confident.      

⁴ One thing I ask of the Lord, this is what I seek:  that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple. ⁵ For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling; he will hide me in the shelter of his tabernacle and set me high upon a rock. ⁶ Then my head will be exalted above the enemies who surround me; at his tabernacle will I sacrifice with shouts of joy; I will sing and make music to the Lord. 

⁷ Hear my voice when I call, O Lord; be merciful to me and answer me. ⁸ My heart says of you, “Seek his face!” Your face, Lord, I will seek. ⁹ Do not hide your face from me, do not turn your servant away in anger; you have been my helper. Do not reject me or forsake me, O God my Savior ¹⁰ Though my father and mother forsake me, the Lord will receive me. ¹¹ Teach me your way, O Lord; lead me in a straight path because of my oppressors. ¹² Do not turn me over to the desire of my foes, for false witnesses rise up against me, breathing out violence. 

¹³ I am still confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. ¹⁴ Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.

New Testament          2 Timothy 2:8-13

Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, descended from David. This is my gospel, ⁹ for which I am suffering even to the point of being chained like a criminal. But God’s word is not chained. ¹⁰ Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they too may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory.   

¹¹ Here is a trustworthy saying:  If we died with him, we will also live with him; ¹² if we endure, we will also reign with him. If we disown him, he will also disown us; ¹³ if we are faithless, he remains faithful, for he cannot disown himself. 

Sermon Title: “When Life gets tough, Remember”

Paul has clearly stated his conviction that life is difficult. No soldier, athlete or farmer accomplishes anything worthwhile without hardship.

In calling us to remember Jesus Christ, Paul again charges us to remember that Jesus was truly human, of the seed of David and raised from the dead.

     Paul helps us to remember that the power of memory should never be underestimated. This passage does suggest we are what we remember.  

     Memory is the lens through which we view our world. We relate to the present through our memories of the past. Our present attitudes are shaped by how we remember past events.

     During his imprisonment and suffering Paul practiced what he preached, as he reflects upon his chains, he remembers Jesus Christ!

January 20  - “Facing our Giants”

Old Testament                      1 Samuel 17:34-47                    ³⁴ But David said to Saul, “Your servant has been keeping his father’s sheep. When a lion or a bear came and carried off a sheep from the flock, ³⁵ I went after it struck it and rescued the sheep from its mouth. When it turned on me, I seized it by its hair, struck it and killed it. ³⁶ Your servant has killed both the lion and the bear; this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, because he has defied the armies of the living God. ³⁷ The Lord who rescued me from the paw of the lion and the paw of the bear will rescue me from the hand of this Philistine.”

Saul said to David, “Go, and the Lord be with you.”

³⁸ Then Saul dressed David in his own tunic. He put a coat of armor on him and a bronze helmet on his head. ³⁹ David fastened on his sword over the tunic and tried walking around, because he was not used to them.

“I cannot go in these,” he said to Saul, “because I am not used to them.” So he took them off. ⁴⁰ Then he took his staff in his hand, chose five smooth stones from the stream, put them in the pouch of his shepherd’s bag and, with his sling in his hand, approached the Philistine.

⁴¹ Meanwhile, the Philistine, with his shield bearer in front of him, kept coming closer to David. ⁴² He looked David over and saw that he was little more than a boy, glowing with health and handsome, and he despised him. ⁴³ He said to David, “Am I a dog, that you come at me with sticks?” And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. ⁴⁴ “Come here,” he said, “and I’ll give your flesh to the birds and the wild animals!”

⁴⁵ David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. ⁴⁶ This day the Lord will deliver you into my hands, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head. This very day I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds and the wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. ⁴⁷ All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give all of you into our hands.”

New Testament                     1 Timothy 4: 9-16

⁶ If you point these things out to the brothers and sisters,^[a] you will be a good minister of Christ Jesus, nourished on the truths of the faith and of the good teaching that you have followed. ⁷ Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives’ tales; rather, train yourself to be godly. ⁸ For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come. ⁹ This is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance. ¹⁰ That is why we labor and strive, because we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all people, and especially of those who believe.

¹¹ Command and teach these things. ¹² Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity. ¹³ Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to preaching and to teaching. ¹⁴ Do not neglect your gift, which was given you through prophecy when the body of elders laid their hands on you. 

Sermon Title:            “Facing our Giants”

·         Life is filled with many challenges

·         Knowing God builds confidence

·         Courage flows from our confidence in God

Lessons from David:

David’s speech was more of an announcement than a threat. First, he announced that their armor was different. David came, not with sword, spear, or javelin, but in the name of the Lord of Hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you defied.

Secondly, David announced that God was about to deliver Goliath into his hand and promised that what Goliath had threatened to do to David’s body would happen to all the Philistines.

Thirdly, David announced that the result would be that everyone would know that there “is a God in Israel” and that the battle was God’s.

In summary, David teaches us that Confidence in Almighty God is a Fatal Weapon against any enemy!

January 13 - "Yielded Vessels" – Rev. Rose Cornelious

 Old Testament - Exodus  1: 1-21

These are the names of the sons of Israel who went to Egypt with Jacob, each with his family: ² Reuben, Simeon, Levi and Judah; ³ Issachar, Zebulun and Benjamin; ⁴ Dan and Naphtali; Gad and Asher. ⁵ The descendants of Jacob numbered seventy^[a] in all; Joseph was already in Egypt.

⁶ Now Joseph and all his brothers and all that generation died, ⁷ but the Israelites were exceedingly fruitful; they multiplied greatly, increased in numbers and became so numerous that the land was filled with them.

⁸ Then a new king, to whom Joseph meant nothing, came to power in Egypt. ⁹ “Look,” he said to his people, “the Israelites have become far too numerous for us. ¹⁰ Come, we must deal shrewdly with them or they will become even more numerous and, if war breaks out, will join our enemies, fight against us and leave the country.”

¹¹ So they put slave masters over them to oppress them with forced labor, and they built Pithom and Rameses as store cities for Pharaoh. ¹² But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and spread; so the Egyptians came to dread the Israelites ¹³ and worked them ruthlessly. ¹⁴ They made their lives bitter with harsh labor in brick and mortar and with all kinds of work in the fields; in all their harsh labor the Egyptians worked them ruthlessly.

¹⁵ The king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, whose names were Shiphrah and Puah, ¹⁶ “When you are helping the Hebrew women during childbirth on the delivery stool, if you see that the baby is a boy, kill him; but if it is a girl, let her live.” ¹⁷ The midwives, however, feared God and did not do what the king of Egypt had told them to do; they let the boys live. ¹⁸ Then the king of Egypt summoned the midwives and asked them, “Why have you done this? Why have you let the boys live?”

¹⁹ The midwives answered Pharaoh, “Hebrew women are not like Egyptian women; they are vigorous and give birth before the midwives arrive.”

²⁰ So God was kind to the midwives and the people increased and became even more numerous. ²¹ And because the midwives feared God, he gave them families of their own.

New Testament - Matthew 14:13-21

When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place. Hearing of this, the crowds followed him on foot from the towns. ¹⁴ When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick.

¹⁵ As evening approached, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a remote place, and it’s already getting late. Send the crowds away, so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food.”

¹⁶ Jesus replied, “They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.”

¹⁷ “We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish,” they answered.

¹⁸ “Bring them here to me,” he said. ¹⁹ And he directed the people to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. ²⁰ They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. ²¹ The number of those who ate was about five thousand men, besides women and children.

Sermon Title -  Yielded Vessels – Rev. Rose Cornelious

The Jews lived in Egypt for hundreds of years after coming there because of a famine. The Pharaoh (ruler of Egypt) thinks they’ve outstayed their welcome and wants to curtail their growth – through any means necessary. Two women put their lives on the line and forever shape what will become the nation of Israel.  

Today’s sermon will ask you to consider these things:

What would you do if you were given an instruction that you had a conflict with? What if going against that instruction meant possibly losing everything, including your life? 

Have you ever been disturbed by something going on in your community or the world and felt like you wanted to do something about it? 

What are some of the excuses you give God for not doing more to change unjust situations locally and around the world?

January 6, 2013 - “How to Rekindle the Fire?”

Old Testament         Psalm 137

¹ By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept when we remembered Zion. ² There on the poplars we hung our harps, ³ for there our captors asked us for songs, our tormentors demanded songs of joy; they said, “Sing us one of the songs of Zion!” ⁴ How can we sing the songs of the Lord while in a foreign land? ⁵ If I forget you, Jerusalem, may my right hand forget its skill. ⁶ May my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth if I do not remember you, if I do not consider Jerusalem my highest joy. ⁷ Remember, Lord, what the Edomites did on the day Jerusalem fell. “Tear it down,” they cried, “tear it down to its foundations!” ⁸ Daughter Babylon, doomed to destruction, happy is the one who repays you according to what you have done to us. ⁹ Happy is the one who seizes your infants and dashes them against the rocks.

New Testament        2 Timothy 1:1-10

1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, in keeping with the promise of life that is in Christ Jesus, ² To Timothy, my dear son: Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.³ I thank God, whom I serve, as my ancestors did, with a clear conscience, as night and day I constantly remember you in my prayers. ⁴ Recalling your tears, I long to see you, so that I may be filled with joy. ⁵ I am reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also.⁶ For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. ⁷ For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline. ⁸ So do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord or of me his prisoner. Rather, join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God. ⁹ He has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, ¹⁰ but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.

Sermon Title: “How to Rekindle the Fire?”

It is reasonable to believe that Second Timothy is the letter that Paul wrote during his final imprisonment in Rome. Some believe that it is one of Paul’s most intimate and moving letters. Even though Timothy had not been converted by Paul, he had become Paul’s understudy and constant companion.

In this epistle paternal instructions and advice are given to a youthful child in the faith, who is following in his teacher’s footsteps.

What is remarkable in this letter is the way in which Faith informs the Thanksgiving expressed.

Ø  First, Paul’s own service to God with a clear conscience is defined with respect to those who preceded him in Faith, “my ancestors” (v.3), or “my forefathers” (REB).

Ø  Secondly, Timothy’s own faith is indebted to those who preceded him, his grandmother Lois and his mother Eunice (Acts 16:1). Faith is what is handed down from mother to daughter to son, but not merely as a package passed from one generation to another but as “a faith which was alive” in mother and daughter and which now lives in the child of the third generation.

Paul (the veteran apostle) makes an appeal for courage and endurance with three aspects:

1.     A call for a rekindled spirit as Timothy remembers the ordination to the ministry.

2.    A call for bold witness as Timothy is charged not to be ashamed of bearing witness to the faith.

3.    A call for fidelity to the apostolic faith which must be adhered to, guarded, and protected.

December 30 - “The Making of a Leader"  - Minister Karen Morant

Old Testament – Nehemiah 2: 1- 20 NIV

2 In the month of Nisan in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was brought for him, I took the wine and gave it to the king. I had not been sad in his presence before, ² so the king asked me, “Why does your face look so sad when you are not ill? This can be nothing but sadness of heart.”

I was very much afraid, ³ but I said to the king, “May the king live forever! Why should my face not look sad when the city where my ancestors are buried lies in ruins, and its gates have been destroyed by fire?”

⁴ The king said to me, “What is it you want?”

Then I prayed to the God of heaven, ⁵ and I answered the king, “If it pleases the king and if your servant has found favor in his sight, let him send me to the city in Judah where my ancestors are buried so that I can rebuild it.”

⁶ Then the king, with the queen sitting beside him, asked me, “How long will your journey take, and when will you get back?” It pleased the king to send me; so I set a time.

⁷ I also said to him, “If it pleases the king, may I have letters to the governors of Trans-Euphrates, so that they will provide me safe-conduct until I arrive in Judah? ⁸ And may I have a letter to Asaph, keeper of the royal park, so he will give me timber to make beams for the gates of the citadel by the temple and for the city wall and for the residence I will occupy?” And because the gracious hand of my God was on me, the king granted my requests. ⁹ So I went to the governors of Trans-Euphrates and gave them the king’s letters. The king had also sent army officers and cavalry with me.

¹⁰ When Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite official heard about this, they were very much disturbed that someone had come to promote the welfare of the Israelites.

¹¹ I went to Jerusalem, and after staying there three days ¹² I set out during the night with a few others. I had not told anyone what my God had put in my heart to do for Jerusalem. There were no mounts with me except the one I was riding on.

¹³ By night I went out through the Valley Gate toward the Jackal^[a] Well and the Dung Gate, examining the walls of Jerusalem, which had been broken down, and its gates, which had been destroyed by fire. ¹⁴ Then I moved on toward the Fountain Gate and the King’s Pool, but there was not enough room for my mount to get through; ¹⁵ so I went up the valley by night, examining the wall. Finally, I turned back and reentered through the Valley Gate. ¹⁶ The officials did not know where I had gone or what I was doing, because as yet I had said nothing to the Jews or the priests or nobles or officials or any others who would be doing the work.

¹⁷ Then I said to them, “You see the trouble we are in: Jerusalem lies in ruins, and its gates have been burned with fire. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, and we will no longer be in disgrace.” ¹⁸ I also told them about the gracious hand of my God on me and what the king had said to me.

They replied, “Let us start rebuilding.” So they began this good work.

¹⁹ But when Sanballat the Horonite, Tobiah the Ammonite official and Geshem the Arab heard about it, they mocked and ridiculed us. “What is this you are doing?” they asked. “Are you rebelling against the king?”

²⁰ I answered them by saying, “The God of heaven will give us success. We his servants will start rebuilding, but as for you, you have no share in Jerusalem or any claim or historic right to it.”

New Testament – Ephesians 2:10 NIV

¹⁰ For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Sermon Title:  “The Making of a Leader"

The 7 P’s of Leadership:  Purpose, Position, Preparation, Plan, Promise, Prayer, and People”

Leadership defined as "influence," according to John Maxwell.  To accept this definition is to accept that every one of us have influence, therefore, each one of us is or can be a leader. Therefore, leadership can be developed. The story of Nehemiah describes how God uses ordinary people to do great things, the making of a leader. 

7 Pillars of Christian leadership are purposed to do good works; positioned to make great impact; prepared through prayer and the knowledge of God’s promises to carry out God’s plan for his people and the building of his kingdom.  Purpose and Position

Focus Areas:

Prepared and Plan - Prayer and Promise - People

December 23 - “The Blessing of Christmas”

Old Testament            Micah 5:2-5a

² “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.”³ Therefore Israel will be abandoned until the time when she who is in labor bears a son, and the rest of his brothers return to join the Israelites.⁴ He will stand and shepherd his flock in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the name of the Lord his God. And they will live securely, for then his greatness will reach to the ends of the earth.

⁵ And he will be our peace when the Assyrians invade our land and march through our fortresses.

New Testament           Luke 1:46 – 55

⁴⁶ And Mary said: “My soul glorifies the Lord ⁴⁷ and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, ⁴⁸ for he has been mindful of the humble state of his servant. From now on all generations will call me blessed, ⁴⁹ for the Mighty One has done great things for me— holy is his name. ⁵⁰ His mercy extends to those who fear him, from generation to generation. ⁵¹ He has performed mighty deeds with his arm; he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts. ⁵² He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble. ⁵³ He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty. ⁵⁴ He has helped his servant Israel, remembering to be merciful ⁵⁵ to Abraham and his descendants forever, just as he promised our ancestors.  

Sermon Title: “The Blessing of Christmas”

Mary’s song is a song of faith, and we know faith grows out of true worship and adoration of God. Worship takes the attention off of us and focuses it on God – on His might, on His power, on His mercy and grace. Worship is a perfect environment for strengthening and deepening our faith because faith keeps its focus on the Word and promises of God, and not on the surrounding or prevailing circumstances.

According to Hebrews 11:1 “Faith is the assurance of things hoped for and the conviction of things not seen”. It is believing that because God has declared something, it is already an accomplished fact even if the tangible and visible evidence is not immediately apparent to our visual senses. Here we hear Mary proclaiming that God has:

Ø  Scattered the proud and arrogant;

Ø  Pulled down the mighty from their thrones

Ø  Exalted the poor;

Ø   Satisfied the hungry with good nourishment,

Ø  Sent the self-sufficiently wealthy away empty-handed.

Mary’s song is also a song of hope that is nurtured and strengthened and encouraged by her faith.

It is a hope that is anchored in the promise God made to her ancestor Abraham and to all his descendants.

December 16 - "What Shall We Do?"

Old Testament         Isaiah 12:2-6

² Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The Lord, the Lord himself, is my strength and my defense; he has become my salvation.”     ³ With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.⁴ In that day you will say: “Give praise to the Lord, proclaim his name; make known among the nations what he has done, and proclaim that his name is exalted.⁵ Sing to the Lord, for he has done glorious things; let this be known to all the world.⁶ Shout aloud and sing for joy, people of Zion, for great is the Holy One of Israel among you.”

New Testament        Luke 3:7-18

⁷ John said to the crowds coming out to be baptized by him, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?

 ⁸ Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. ⁹ The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.”¹⁰ “What should we do then?” the crowd asked.¹¹ John answered, “Anyone who has two shirts should share with the one who has none, and anyone who has food should do the same.”¹² Even tax collectors came to be baptized. “Teacher,” they asked, “what should we do?”¹³ “Don’t collect any more than you are required to,” he told them.¹⁴ Then some soldiers asked him, “And what should we do?”He replied, “Don’t extort money and don’t accuse people falsely—be content with your pay.”¹⁵ The people were waiting expectantly and were all wondering in their hearts if John might possibly be the Messiah. ¹⁶ John answered them all, “I baptize you with water. But one who is more powerful than I will come, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. ¹⁷ His winnowing fork is in his hand to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his barn, but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.” ¹⁸ And with many other words John exhorted the people and proclaimed the good news to them.

 Sermon Title   “What Shall We Do?”

Ministry of John The Baptist: Luke 3:1–22

It began with John, who broke out of the desert like an old-time prophet, boldly announcing God’s Word and challenging his hearers to a complete change of heart. John’s words were straightforward, and pierced to the heart of his hearers. He called them a brood of snakes. He warned them not to keep on trusting in their ancestry; their own hearts must be right with God.

When they cried out, asking what shall we do, John told them plainly, and in telling them John revealed the ways that they hated and hurt one another. John’s message was simple. There must be a change in your hearts. God is about to act; judgment is coming. And you must have a new life!

First, there must be forgiveness, for there has always been sin. Secondly, there must be baptism, as a public sign of a choice to turn from sin. Thirdly, there must be a whole new lifestyle—a new life that is lived in harmony with God and with holiness, a new life that breaks completely with sin. Finally, John had one other message.

The Saviour-Messiah was coming. The One who would make all this possible was approaching.

December 9  “Chained and yet Joyful”

Old Testament    Malachi 3:1-4 (NIV)

3 “I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come,” says the Lord Almighty.

² But who can endure the day of his coming? Who can stand when he appears? For he will be like a refiner’s fire or a launderer’s soap. ³ He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver; he will purify the Levites and refine them like gold and silver. Then the Lord will have men who will bring offerings in righteousness, ⁴ and the offerings of Judah and Jerusalem will be acceptable to the Lord, as in days gone by, as in former years.

New Testament   Philippians 1:3-11 (NIV)

Thanksgiving and Prayer

³ I thank my God every time I remember you. ⁴ In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy ⁵ because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, ⁶ being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

⁷ It is right for me to feel this way about all of you, since I have you in my heart and, whether I am in chains or defending and confirming the gospel, all of you share in God’s grace with me. ⁸ God can testify how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus.

⁹ And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, ¹⁰ so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, ¹¹ filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.

Sermon Title: “Chained and yet Joyful”

Paul rejoiced in spite of his circumstances, because his circumstances strengthened the fellowship of the Gospel .

The word fellowship simply means “to have in common.” But true Christian fellowship is really much deeper than sharing coffee and pie, or even enjoying a golf game together. Too often what we think is “fellowship” is really only acquaintanceship or friendship. You cannot have fellowship with someone unless you have something in common; and for Christian fellowship, this means the possessing of eternal life within the heart. Unless a person has trusted Christ as his Saviour, he knows nothing of “the fellowship of the Gospel.”

I.     Paul’s Supplication for the Philippian Believers (1:1–11)

A.     For whom he prays (1:1–2): Pastors, deacons, and all Christians in Philippi.

B.     When he prays (1:3): “Every time I think of you.”

C.     How he prays (1:4): He prays with his heart filled with joy.

D.     Why he prays (1:5, 7–8): The Philippian believers have rendered great assistance to Paul, both in prison and out of prison.

E.     What he prays (1:6, 9–11)

1.     That God’s Word be carried to its completion in every believer until the return of Christ (1:6)

2.     That they might be filled with love (1:9)

3.     That they might have the spirit of discernment (1:10)

4.     That they be filled with the fruits of righteousness (or of salvation) (1:11)

December 2  “Watching, Waiting and Witnessing for Jesus”

Old Testament:           Genesis 6:5-9

⁵ The Lord saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time. ⁶ The Lord regretted that he had made human beings on the earth, and his heart was deeply troubled. ⁷ So the Lord said, “I will wipe from the face of the earth the human race I have created—and with them the animals, the birds and the creatures that move along the ground—for I regret that I have made them.” ⁸ But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord. ⁹ This is the account of Noah and his family. Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked faithfully with God.

New Testament:          Matthew 24:36-44

³⁶ “But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. ³⁷ As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. ³⁸ For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; ³⁹ and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. ⁴⁰ Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. ⁴¹ Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left.

⁴² “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. ⁴³ But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. ⁴⁴ So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.

Sermon Title: “Watching, Waiting and Witnessing for Jesus”

Ø  We must “Focus on the Priorities” Christ has given

Ø  We must “Discern the Times” as noted in the Bible

Ø  We must “Pray Continually” for spiritual guidance

Today, marks the beginning of the season of Advent, a time of preparation, a time to focus on the coming of the Messiah, a time of great expectation and anticipation. The name Advent comes from the Latin words, advenire (to come to) & adventus (an arrival), and refers to Christ's coming into this world.

It is that period of the year during which the Church requires the faithful to prepare for the celebration of the feast of Christmas, the anniversary of the birth and coming of Jesus Christ. The focus of Advent is by no means limited to just Christ's first coming. An equal, if not more important theme found in the Advent Liturgy is the Second Coming of Christ when He comes again to judge the world.

The primary focus of Jesus in this passage is watchfulness as we wait for His return. Our motivation in the service of Christ is a meaningful relationship with Him not a fear of the end. Jesus calls us to be disciples in the world, to serve in the world, to evangelize the world as we wait for His return. In this passage of scripture Matthew tells us:

1) No one knows the time of His coming (v. 36)

2) No specific signs mark out the time (vv.37-39)

3) No change of involvements in the necessary pursuits of life is to preempt the final separation (vv.40-44) 

November 25  “Don’t Forget to Remember”

Old Testament                  Deuteronomy 8:7-18

⁷ For the Lord your God is bringing you into a good land—a land with brooks, streams, and deep springs gushing out into the valleys and hills; ⁸ a land with wheat and barley, vines and fig trees, pomegranates, olive oil and honey; ⁹ a land where bread will not be scarce and you will lack nothing; a land where the rocks are iron and you can dig copper out of the hills.

¹⁰ When you have eaten and are satisfied, praise the Lord your God for the good land he has given you. ¹¹ Be careful that you do not forget the Lord your God, failing to observe his commands, his laws and his decrees that I am giving you this day. ¹² Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses and settle down, ¹³ and when your herds and flocks grow large and your silver and gold increase and all you have is multiplied, ¹⁴ then your heart will become proud and you will forget the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. ¹⁵ He led you through the vast and dreadful wilderness, that thirsty and waterless land, with its venomous snakes and scorpions. He brought you water out of hard rock. ¹⁶ He gave you manna to eat in the wilderness, something your ancestors had never known, to humble and test you so that in the end it might go well with you. ¹⁷ You may say to yourself, “My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.” ¹⁸ But remember the Lord your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your ancestors, as it is today. 

New Testament               Luke 17:11-19

¹¹ Now on his way to Jerusalem, Jesus traveled along the border between Samaria and Galilee. ¹² As he was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance ¹³ and called out in a loud voice, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!”

¹⁴ When he saw them, he said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed.

¹⁵ One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. ¹⁶ He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him—and he was a Samaritan.

¹⁷ Jesus asked, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? ¹⁸ Has no one returned to give praise to God except this foreigner?” ¹⁹ Then he said to him, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.” 

Sermon Title:           “Don’t Forget to Remember”

One of the most important elements of Thanksgiving is to count one’s blessings, and to be thankful for everything God has done!

In this passage of scripture Moses does not want Israel to forget that God was their liberator, leader and deliverer…

Twice in this chapter Moses exhorts Israel to “remember” the greatness of God in their past. The Hebrew word for “remember,” zakar, appears in many forms throughout the Old Testament.  Remembering is certainly a mental exercise but it has other aspects, it implies action and honor.  The NIV translates zakar as “celebrate” as in  Psalm 145-7 and “joyfully sing” as in 1 Chronicles 16:4.

Moses warns Israel of the negative characteristics of pride.  They must remember that their pride is:

1.  Untrue – God heard their cry and delivered them.  They were in bondage.

2.  Disloyal – The worst form of idolatry is to lift themselves up before God

3.  Ungrateful – What can be worse than to forget the source of all good things?

4.  Offensive – Pride is one of the 7 things that God hates. Proverbs 6:16-17

5.  Arrogant – God desired to humble them in the wilderness to test them. 

November 18 "The Debt of Love I Owe"

Old Testament:               Psalm 122

¹ I rejoiced with those who said to me, “Let us go to the house of the Lord.” ² Our feet are standing in your gates, Jerusalem. 

³ Jerusalem is built like a city that is closely compacted together. ⁴ That is where the tribes go up—the tribes of the Lord—to praise the name of the Lord according to the statute given to Israel. ⁵ There stand the thrones for judgment, the thrones of the house of David. 

⁶ Pray for the peace of Jerusalem:  “May those who love you be secure. ⁷ May there be peace within your walls and security within your citadels.  ”⁸ For the sake of my family and friends, I will say, “Peace be within you.”  ⁹ For the sake of the house of the Lord our God, I will seek your prosperity.

New Testament:              Romans 13:8-14

Love Fulfills the Law - ⁸ Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law.  ⁹ The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not covet,” and whatever other command there may be, are summed up in this one command:  “Love your neighbor as yourself.” ¹⁰ Love does no harm to a neighbor.  Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.

The Day Is Near - ¹¹ And do this, understanding the present time: The hour has already come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.  ¹³ Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy.  ¹⁴ Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh. 

Sermon Title: “The Debt of Love I Owe” 

Having spoken about the Christian obligation to pay tax and tribute, Paul turns his attention to private financial concerns.  He insists that Christians meet their commitments in this area too as a matter of spiritual and moral obligation but then, surprisingly, adds the instruction concerning the obligation of love.

Love is a theme found throughout Scripture; it is the theme of countless hymns and secular poetry; literature and music are permeated with its message.  The Apostle Paul insists, however, that love is an obligation as real as taxation and personal debt repayment.

The idea of love is always closely related to its inspiration, Jesus Christ, Paul is never weary of appealing to Christ’s love for us as the incentive for our love for others.

November 11 “Stepping out of Poverty”

Old Testament     1 Kings 17:7-16  

⁷ Some time later the brook dried up because there had been no rain in the land. ⁸ Then the word of the Lord came to him: ⁹ “Go at once to Zarephath in the region of Sidon and stay there. I have directed a widow there to supply you with food.” ¹⁰ So he went to Zarephath. When he came to the town gate, a widow was there gathering sticks. He called to her and asked, “Would you bring me a little water in a jar so I may have a drink?” ¹¹ As she was going to get it, he called, “And bring me, please, a piece of bread.”

¹² “As surely as the Lord your God lives,” she replied, “I don’t have any bread—only a handful of flour in a jar and a little olive oil in a jug. I am gathering a few sticks to take home and make a meal for myself and my son, that we may eat it—and die.”

¹³ Elijah said to her, “Don’t be afraid. Go home and do as you have said. But first make a small loaf of bread for me from what you have and bring it to me, and then make something for yourself and your son. ¹⁴ For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says: ‘The jar of flour will not be used up and the jug of oil will not run dry until the day the Lord sends rain on the land.’”

¹⁵ She went away and did as Elijah had told her. So there was food every day for Elijah and for the woman and her family. ¹⁶ For the jar of flour was not used up and the jug of oil did not run dry, in keeping with the word of the Lord spoken by Elijah.

New Testament     Mark 12:38-44   

⁴¹ Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. ⁴² But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a few cents.

⁴³ Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. ⁴⁴ They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on.”

Sermon Title: “Stepping out of Poverty”

In this text, Jesus calls his disciples around him, he repeats the lesson that he has taught so many times and in so many different ways.  As the widow “out of her poverty put in all that she had, her whole livelihood” (v.44), God asks that we give Him our all. Many standards of giving can be developed from the widow’s act:

Giving is to be measured: 

Ø  not by its count, but its cost

Ø  not by its amount, but its portion

Ø  not by what is given, but by what is kept

Ø  not by money, but by spirit 

Giving is a reflection of the heart…

Giving is a matter of the heart…

Questions you should ponder…

Ø  Do you give out of your surplus? 

Ø  Do you give out of your substance? 

Ø  When Jesus observes your giving what does he see? 

Ø  Are you living in spiritual poverty?

November 4 - "Desolate No More" - Rev. Rose Cornelious

Scripture Verses: 2 Samuel 13: 1-22 NIV

    13 In the course of time, Amnon son of David fell in love with Tamar, the beautiful sister of Absalom son of David.

     ² Amnon became so obsessed with his sister Tamar that he made himself ill. She was a virgin, and it seemed impossible for him to do anything to her.

     ³ Now Amnon had an adviser named Jonadab son of Shimeah, David’s brother. Jonadab was a very shrewd man. ⁴ He asked Amnon, “Why do you, the king’s son, look so haggard morning after morning? Won’t you tell me?”

     Amnon said to him, “I’m in love with Tamar, my brother Absalom’s sister.”

     ⁵ “Go to bed and pretend to be ill,” Jonadab said. “When your father comes to see you, say to him, ‘I would like my sister Tamar to come and give me something to eat. Let her prepare the food in my sight so I may watch her and then eat it from her hand.’”

     ⁶ So Amnon lay down and pretended to be ill. When the king came to see him, Amnon said to him, “I would like my sister Tamar to come and make some special bread in my sight, so I may eat from her hand.”

     ⁷ David sent word to Tamar at the palace: “Go to the house of your brother Amnon and prepare some food for him.” ⁸ So Tamar went to the house of her brother Amnon, who was lying down. She took some dough, kneaded it, made the bread in his sight and baked it. ⁹ Then she took the pan and served him the bread, but he refused to eat.

     “Send everyone out of here,” Amnon said. So everyone left him. ¹⁰ Then Amnon said to Tamar, “Bring the food here into my bedroom so I may eat from your hand.” And Tamar took the bread she had prepared and brought it to her brother Amnon in his bedroom. ¹¹ But when she took it to him to eat, he grabbed her and said, “Come to bed with me, my sister.”

     ¹² “No, my brother!” she said to him. “Don’t force me! Such a thing should not be done in Israel! Don’t do this wicked thing. ¹³ What about me? Where could I get rid of my disgrace? And what about you? You would be like one of the wicked fools in Israel. Please speak to the king; he will not keep me from being married to you.” ¹⁴ But he refused to listen to her, and since he was stronger than she, he raped her.

     ¹⁵ Then Amnon hated her with intense hatred. In fact, he hated her more than he had loved her. Amnon said to her, “Get up and get out!”

     ¹⁶ “No!” she said to him. “Sending me away would be a greater wrong than what you have already done to me.”

But he refused to listen to her. ¹⁷ He called his personal servant and said, “Get this woman out of my sight and bolt the door after her.” ¹⁸ So his servant put her out and bolted the door after her. She was wearing an ornate^[a] robe, for this was the kind of garment the virgin daughters of the king wore. ¹⁹ Tamar put ashes on her head and tore the ornate robe she was wearing. She put her hands on her head and went away, weeping aloud as she went.

     ²⁰ Her brother Absalom said to her, “Has that Amnon, your brother, been with you? Be quiet for now, my sister; he is your brother. Don’t take this thing to heart.” And Tamar lived in her brother Absalom’s house, a desolate woman.

     ²¹ When King David heard all this, he was furious. ²² And Absalom never said a word to Amnon, either good or bad; he hated Amnon because he had disgraced his sister Tamar.

Sermon Title: Desolate No More - Rev. Rose Cornelious

Desolate: Abandoned, destroyed, godforsaken.

Amnon:  King David’s oldest son; by his wife Ahinoam

Tamar: King David’s only daughter; by his wife Maacah

Absalom: Kind David’s third born son; by his wife Maacah

Jonadab: Their cousin

October 28   “A Necessary Question”

Old Testament Scripture:  Psalm 107:13-22

¹³ Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress.¹⁴ He brought them out of darkness, the utter darkness, and broke away their chains.¹⁵ Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for mankind,¹⁶ for he breaks down gates of bronze and cuts through bars of iron.

¹⁷ Some became fools through their rebellious ways and suffered affliction because of their iniquities.¹⁸ They loathed all food and drew near the gates of death.¹⁹ Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress.²⁰ He sent out his word and healed them; he rescued them from the grave.²¹ Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love and his wonderful deeds for mankind.²² Let them sacrifice thank offerings and tell of his works with songs of joy. 

New Testament Scripture:  John 5   The Healing at the Pool

5 Some time later, Jesus went up to Jerusalem for one of the Jewish festivals. ² Now there is in Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate a pool, which in Aramaic is called Bethesda and which is surrounded by five covered colonnades. ³ Here a great number of disabled people used to lie—the blind, the lame, the paralyzed. ^{[4] 5} One who was there had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. ⁶ When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, “Do you want to get well?”

⁷ “Sir,” the invalid replied, “I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me.”

⁸ Then Jesus said to him, “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.” ⁹ At once the man was cured; he picked up his mat and walked. (NIV) 

Sermon Title: “A Necessary Question”

Chapter 5 begins with “Some time later.” There is a sequence in the events, movement from one sign to the next, each deepening in intensity and meaning. John’s Gospel makes it clear that Jesus delighted in the feast days of His people that celebrated the saving acts of God.

The location of the healing in this text was the Sheep Gate in the northeast area of the temple where the animals were brought for sacrifices. The pool was called Bethesda in the native Hebrew tongue

Bethesda is an Aramaic word transliterated into Greek and is the name of a pool in Jerusalem in Jesus’ day that was surrounded by five porches or colonnades that gave an arcadelike walkway around the pool. Located near the Sheep Gate, it was the place where the handicapped and ill came with the hope they would be miraculously healed if they could get into the pool at the proper time.

When we find ourselves in difficult situations in life we must be willing to ask questions, because the answers will help us to define our reality. Questions serve many purposes in our lives:

1. Questions sometimes come to comfort and assure us.  In Genesis 18: 14, God asked Abraham, is anything too hard for the Lord?
2. Questions come to bring conviction or to bring us into full awareness of our condition. In Genesis 3:9, God asked Adam, where are you?
3. Questions come to clarify. In John 21, Jesus said to Simon Peter, Simon son of John, do you truly love me more than these?

In our text today, Jesus asked the crippled man a necessary question, “Do you want to get well?”

October 21 - Rev. Dieuner Joseph - “Living the Abundant Life”

Old Testament - Deuteronomy 28: 1-14

     28 If you fully obey the Lord your God and carefully follow all his commands I give you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations on earth. ² All these blessings will come on you and accompany you if you obey the Lord your God:

       ³ You will be blessed in the city and blessed in the country.

       ⁴ The fruit of your womb will be blessed, and the crops of your land and the young of your livestock—the calves of your herds and the lambs of your flocks.

       ⁵ Your basket and your kneading trough will be blessed.

       ⁶ You will be blessed when you come in and blessed when you go out.

       ⁷ The Lord will grant that the enemies who rise up against you will be defeated before you. They will come at you from one direction but flee from you in seven.

       ⁸ The Lord will send a blessing on your barns and on everything you put your hand to. The Lord your God will bless you in the land he is giving you.

       ⁹ The Lord will establish you as his holy people, as he promised you on oath, if you keep the commands of the Lord your God and walk in obedience to him. ¹⁰ Then all the peoples on earth will see that you are called by the name of the Lord, and they will fear you. ¹¹ The Lord will grant you abundant prosperity—in the fruit of your womb, the young of your livestock and the crops of your ground—in the land he swore to your ancestors to give you.

       ¹² The Lord will open the heavens, the storehouse of his bounty, to send rain on your land in season and to bless all the work of your hands. You will lend to many nations but will borrow from none. ¹³ The Lord will make you the head, not the tail. If you pay attention to the commands of the Lord your God that I give you this day and carefully follow them, you will always be at the top, never at the bottom. ¹⁴ Do not turn aside from any of the commands I give you today, to the right or to the left, following other gods and serving them.

New Testament - John 10:10

¹⁰ The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

Sermon Title:  “Living the Abundant Life”

Jesus is the architect of our lives and the protector of our souls. He is concerned about our spiritual and physical wellbeing. He desires for us to live in the fullness of His love and in the richness of His grace. He suffered, bled and died so we may prevail in our spiritual struggles against spiritual wickedness; and thereby live a life that is exceedingly and more abundantly than we can dare to imagine.

2 Keys for living an Abundant life:

1-We need to Trust in the Promises of God

A.    Protected by His power- Isaiah 54:17

no weapon forged against you will prevail, and you will refute every tongue that accuses you. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and this is their vindication from me," declares the LORD.

B.     Positioned for greatness – Ephesians 2:10

For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

2-We need to Live for the Pleasure of God

C.     Possessed by His love

Romans 8:38-39For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, ³⁹ neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

D.    Purposed for worship

Psalms 29:2 Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name; worship the LORD in the splendor of holiness.

Psalms 95:6 Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the LORD, our Maker!

Psalms 150 Praise the LORD! Praise God in his sanctuary; praise him in his mighty heavens! Praise him for his mighty deeds; praise him according to his excellent greatness! Praise him with trumpet sound; praise him with lute and harp! Praise him with tambourine and dance; praise him with strings and pipe! Praise him with sounding cymbals; praise him with loud clashing cymbals! Let everything that has breath praise the LORD! Praise the LORD!

October 14 - “Jesus Makes a House Call”

Old Testament                Lamentations 3:23-33 NIV

²³ They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.²⁴ I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.”

²⁵ The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; ²⁶ it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord.
²⁷ It is good for a man to bear the yoke while he is young.

²⁸ Let him sit alone in silence, for the Lord has laid it on him.²⁹ Let him bury his face in the dust—there may yet be hope.³⁰ Let him offer his cheek to one who would strike him, and let him be filled with disgrace.

³¹ For no one is cast off by the Lord forever.³² Though he brings grief, he will show compassion, so great is his unfailing love.³³ For he does not willingly bring affliction or grief to anyone. 

New Testament               Luke 8:49-56

⁴⁹ While Jesus was still speaking, someone came from the house of Jairus, the synagogue leader. “Your daughter is dead,” he said. “Don’t bother the teacher anymore.”

⁵⁰ Hearing this, Jesus said to Jairus, “Don’t be afraid; just believe, and she will be healed.”

⁵¹ When he arrived at the house of Jairus, he did not let anyone go in with him except Peter, John and James, and the child’s father and mother. ⁵² Meanwhile, all the people were wailing and mourning for her. “Stop wailing,” Jesus said. “She is not dead but asleep.”

⁵³ They laughed at him, knowing that she was dead. ⁵⁴ But he took her by the hand and said, “My child, get up!” ⁵⁵ Her spirit returned, and at once she stood up. Then Jesus told them to give her something to eat. ⁵⁶ Her parents were astonished, but he ordered them not to tell anyone what had happened. 

Sermon Title:            “Jesus Makes a House Call”

In this passage of scripture Jesus returns to Jewish Palestine and to the crowd with which he had been dealing earlier. Out of the crowd emerges a certain synagogue ruler who is probably responsible for the setting up of synagogue services.

The Pharisees and the teachers of the law have been critical of Jesus, but this man in his need humbles himself before Jesus. It is possible that the name Jarius is symbolic: it means “he (that is, God) will awaken,” which is just what is to happen for this man.

This sermon is an illustration of a miracle within a miracle:

ü It teaches the role of Faith in the circumstances of our lives

ü It teaches that Faith will not be operative around unbelievers, skeptics, and cynics

ü It teaches the lack of Faith will block the mighty acts of God

ü It reminds us that miracles are possible when we ask in Faith

ü It teaches that we should expect the Lord to work even if we take a baby step of Faith

October 7 - “How to get back to God”

Old Testament: Psalm 51: 1-12

      ¹Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy loving kindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions.  ²Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.  ³For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me.  ⁴Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest. ⁵Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.

      ⁶Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom.  ⁷Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.  ⁸Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice.  ⁹Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities.

      ¹⁰Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. ¹¹Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me. ¹²Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.

New Testament: Romans 7: 14-25

¹⁴ We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. ¹⁵ I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. ¹⁶ And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. ¹⁷ As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. ¹⁸ I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature.^b For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. ¹⁹ For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. ²⁰ Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it. ²¹ So I find this law at work: When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. ²² For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; ²³ but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. ²⁴ What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? ²⁵ Thanks be to God—through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in the sinful nature a slave to the law of sin.

Sermon Title: “How to get back to God”

There are three specific steps:

1.   Confession and Acknowledgement of Sin (Repentance)

2.   A Desire to be cleansed (Restoration)

3.   An offer of one’s self up to God (Reconciliation)

Psalm 51 is one of the 7 penitential psalms, which means penitence or repentance (6, 32, 38, 51, 102, 130, 143) .This psalm portrays the true character of God in view of the sinfulness of humankind,

Psalm 51 begins with a threefold focus on God’s character,

• God is  gracious

• God’s love is steadfast

• God is filled with motherly compassion

David appeals to God’s character by reminding God of his character,

Verses one and two assume that sin/Iniquity has a staining, polluting, contaminating quality about it,

1)     have mercy on me Oh God , according to your unfailing love, according to your great compassion, blot out my transgressions,

2)    The Hebrew word translated as transgression in the Old Testament means, revolt, rebellion, Psalm 32:1 Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, who sins are covered,

 In the New Testament every occurrence of the word “transgression” is a translation of the Greek that means a deliberate breach of the law,

God is not the author of sin, but his plan for the redemption of the world includes his dealing with the reality of sin,

Sin is not the absence of good, rather it is the real and positive affect of evil, Sin is the rebellion against God’s law which is the standard of righteousness.

September 30

Old Testament: 1 Chronicles 16:8-12; 28-36

⁸ Give praise to the Lord, proclaim his name; make known among the nations what he has done.⁹ Sing to him, sing praise to him; tell of all his wonderful acts.¹⁰ Glory in his holy name let the hearts of those who seek the Lord rejoice.¹¹ Look to the Lord and his strength; seek his face always.

¹² Remember the wonders he has done, his miracles, and the judgments he pronounced,

²⁸ Ascribe to the Lord, all you families of nations, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.²⁹ Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name;
bring an offering and come before him. Worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness.³⁰ Tremble before him, all the earth!
The world is firmly established; it cannot be moved.

³¹ Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad; let them say among the nations, “The Lord reigns!” ³² Let the sea resound, and all that is in it; let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them! ³³ Let the trees of the forest sing, let them sing for joy before the Lord, for he comes to judge the earth.

³⁴ Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.
³⁵ Cry out, “Save us, God our Savior; gather us and deliver us from the nations, that we may give thanks to your holy name, and glory in your praise.”³⁶ Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting. 

New Testament: Matthew 4:8-10

⁸ Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. ⁹ “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”

¹⁰ Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’” 

Sermon Title: “Worship, A Taste of Glory”

What is worship?

Worship is to adore reverently, to feel deep devoted love for, to regard with respect and with great awe and devotion.

Meaning behind the Hebrew words for worship.

• SHACHAH (7812) – to prostrate, reflex in homage to royalty or God, bow self down, crouch, fall down flat, throw oneself down before someone, kneel down, humbly beseech, do (make)
  obeisance, do reverence, make to stoop, worship. Ps. 5:7, 22:27, 29, 29:2, 45:11, 66:4, 81:9, 86:9, 95:6, 96:9, 97:7, 99:5, 9, 132:7, 138:2, Ex 34:8, 2 Chron 20:18, bowed and worshiped.
  Gen 22:5, He said to his servants, "Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you."(NIV).
• CAGAD (5457) – to prostrate oneself in homage, fall down, worship
• YADAH – to throw out hands; to worship with extended hands, Ps. 134:2 (bless)
• BARAK – to bow down in a worshipful attitude expecting to receive, yield, Ps. 103:1-2 (bless)

Greek words for worship:

• PROSKUNEO (4352) – To kiss, like a dog is licking his masters hand, to fawn, to crouch, to prostrate oneself in homage, do reverence to, adore, worship. Pros = towards, kuneo = to kiss.
• SEBOMAI (4576) – To revere, adore, devout religious worship stressing the feeling of awe or devotion in worship.
• LATREUO (3000) – to minister to God, render homage, serve, do the service of worship. Phil 3:3, worship by the Spirit of God
• EUSEBEO (2151) – to be pious, towards God show piety, worship
• ETHELOTHRESKEIA (1479) – will worship, voluntarily worship
• ENOPION (1799) – before, in the presence, in the sight of… to worship.

Ps. 29:1-2, worship the Lord in holy array or in the beauty of holiness, 96:9

Rev 5:11-14, Neh 9:6, the multitudes of heaven worship You.

September 23

Old Testament                Exodus 34:29-35 NIV

²⁹ When Moses came down from Mount Sinai with the two tablets of the covenant law in his hands, he was not aware that his face was radiant because he had spoken with the Lord. ³⁰ When Aaron and all the Israelites saw Moses, his face was radiant, and they were afraid to come near him. ³¹ But Moses called to them; so Aaron and all the leaders of the community came back to him, and he spoke to them. ³² Afterward all the Israelites came near him, and he gave them all the commands the Lord had given him on Mount Sinai.

³³ When Moses finished speaking to them, he put a veil over his face. ³⁴ But whenever he entered the Lord’s presence to speak with him, he removed the veil until he came out. And when he came out and told the Israelites what he had been commanded, ³⁵ they saw that his face was radiant. Then Moses would put the veil back over his face until he went in to speak with the Lord.

New Testament               2 Corinthians 3:12-18 NIV

¹² Therefore, since we have such a hope, we are very bold. ¹³ We are not like Moses, who would put a veil over his face to prevent the Israelites from seeing the end of what was passing away. ¹⁴ But their minds were made dull, for to this day the same veil remains when the old covenant is read. It has not been removed, because only in Christ is it taken away. ¹⁵ Even to this day when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts. ¹⁶ But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. ¹⁷ Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. ¹⁸ And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

Sermon Title: “A Case of Mistaken Identity”

Speaker – Disciple Frank A, Terry

Here are a few questions for you to ponder as you go through your day to day lives.

1.         Are you conscious of the Glory of God

2.         Are you a reflection of God’s Glory?

3.         Are you reflecting Old Covenant Glory (Law)

4.         Are you reflecting New Covenant (Jesus) Glory?

September 16

Old Testament                Psalm 124

A song of ascents, Of David.

¹ If the Lord had not been on our side—let Israel say—
² if the Lord had not been on our side when people attacked us,
³ they would have swallowed us alive when their anger flared against us;
⁴ the flood would have engulfed us, the torrent would have swept over us,
⁵ the raging waters would have swept us away.

⁶ Praise be to the Lord, who has not let us be torn by their teeth.
⁷ We have escaped like a bird from the fowler’s snare; the snare has been broken, and we have escaped.
⁸ Our help is in the name of the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.

New Testament               Romans 11:33-36 and 12: 1-2

³³ Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out! ³⁴ “Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor?” ³⁵ “Who has ever given to God, that God should repay them?” ³⁶ For from him and through him and for him are all things. To him be the glory forever! Amen.

A Living Sacrifice

12 Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. ² Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Sermon Title: “A Gift for One who has Everything”

This epistle is about an examination of truth and application of spiritual truth, or the reality of commitment. The Apostle Paul explains to the church at Rome that God can and will use all things to bring about his eternal purpose even in the midst of rebellion. He gives us a glimpse of human failure with a backdrop of God’s divine capacity. As Paul begins to speak in verse 33 he shouts out in appreciation, O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! “How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out!”

Paul is asking His readers to do some realistic evaluation of their application of spiritual truth, in three distinct ways:

1.   1.    Present your body as a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God. The body moves from an agent of sin to an instrument of holiness. 

How is your body a living sacrifice? 

2.   2.    Do not be conformed to this world (Jesus said we are in the world but not of the world)

How has the world rubbed off on you?

3.    Be transformed by the renewing of your mind, through meditation on God’s truth and the indwelling Spirit….

Do you renew your mind daily?

September 9

Old Testament   Genesis 1:1-31 (NIV

1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. ² Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.

³ And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. ⁴ God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. ⁵ God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day.

⁶ And God said, “Let there be a vault between the waters to separate water from water.” ⁷ So God made the vault and separated the water under the vault from the water above it. And it was so. ⁸ God called the vault “sky.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the second day.

⁹ And God said, “Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear.” And it was so. ¹⁰ God called the dry ground “land,” and the gathered waters he called “seas.” And God saw that it was good.

¹¹ Then God said, “Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds.” And it was so. ¹² The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. ¹³ And there was evening, and there was morning—the third day.

¹⁴ And God said, “Let there be lights in the vault of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark sacred times, and days and years, ¹⁵ and let them be lights in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth.” And it was so. ¹⁶ God made two great lights—the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars. ¹⁷ God set them in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth, ¹⁸ to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good. ¹⁹ And there was evening, and there was morning—the fourth day.

²⁰ And God said, “Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the vault of the sky.” ²¹ So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living thing with which the water teems and that moves about in it, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. ²² God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds increase on the earth.” ²³ And there was evening, and there was morning—the fifth day.

²⁴ And God said, “Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: the livestock, the creatures that move along the ground, and the wild animals, each according to its kind.” And it was so. ²⁵ God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.

²⁶ Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”

²⁷ So God created mankind in his own image,
    in the image of God he created them;
    male and female he created them.

²⁸ God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”

²⁹ Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. ³⁰ And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds in the sky and all the creatures that move along the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food.” And it was so.

³¹ God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day.

 New Testament  Matthew 6:25-34

²⁵ “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? ²⁶ Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? ²⁷ Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?

²⁸ “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. ²⁹ Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. ³⁰ If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? ³¹ So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ ³² For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. ³³ But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. ³⁴ Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Sermon Title:  “Did YOU Earn Your Points TODAY”

Speaker – Deacon James Roscoe Bacon

5 points to reflect upon.

• 1.    Speak Appropriately

• 2.    Follow Directions

• 3.    Stay on Task

• 4.    Be Prepared

• 5.    Respect Self & Others

September 2

Old Testament          Psalm 98

¹ Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous things;
his right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for him.
² The Lord has made his salvation known and revealed his righteousness to the nations. ³ He has remembered his love and his faithfulness to Israel; all the ends of the earth have seen
the salvation of our God. ⁴ Shout for joy to the Lord, all the earth, burst into jubilant song with music;⁵ make music to the Lord with the harp, with the harp and the sound of singing, ⁶ with trumpets and the blast of the ram’s horn —shout for joy before the Lord, the King.

⁷ Let the sea resound, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it. ⁸ Let the rivers clap their hands, let the mountains sing together for joy;⁹ let them sing before the Lord, for he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples with equity.

New Testament         John 15: 9-17

⁹ “As the Father has loved me,  so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. ¹⁰ If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. ¹¹ I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. ¹² My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. ¹³ Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. ¹⁴ You are my friends if you do what I command. ¹⁵ I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. ¹⁶ You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit —fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. ¹⁷ This is my command: Love each other. 

Sermon Title: “Love, according to Jesus”

There are five key terms within this passage: Abide, love, joy, commandment and friends

The word abide characterizes a relationship of trust, knowledge, love and unity that exist between God and Christ. While on earth Christ was able to remain or to abide in God from whom he came. Jesus is teaching that in the same way the disciples will be able to abide in Christ even after he has returned to God.

John helps us to understand that (agape’) love is more than a feeling. “To love is to be for another and to act as another, even at cost to oneself. The supreme act of love is the giving of one’s life for another. God’s agape’ love for us is illustrated in John 3:16

For many of us, love and friendship lie in feelings and no one can command feelings, in this Gospel love is not a feeling, rather it is being for the other person and acting accordingly.

It is servants who obey but Jesus calls the disciples his friends. As followers and friend of Jesus we should know what he is doing as Jesus has made God known to us…

Jesus reminds the church “You did not choose me but I chose you, and I appointed you that you should go and bear fruit.

August 26

Old Testament Scripture: Isaiah 5:1-7

I will sing for the one I love a song about his vineyard: My loved one had a vineyard on a fertile hillside.² He dug it up and cleared it of stones and planted it with the choicest vines. He built a watchtower in it and cut out a winepress as well. Then he looked for a crop of good grapes, but it yielded only bad fruit.

³ “Now you dwellers in Jerusalem and people of Judah, judge between me and my vineyard. ⁴ What more could have been done for my vineyard than I have done for it? When I looked for good grapes, why did it yield only bad? ⁵ Now I will tell you what I am going to do to my vineyard: I will take away its hedge, and it will be destroyed; I will break down its wall, and it will be trampled. ⁶ I will make it a wasteland, neither pruned nor cultivated, and briers and thorns will grow there. I will command the clouds not to rain on it.”

⁷ The vineyard of the Lord Almighty is the nation of Israel, and the people of Judah are the vines he delighted in. And he looked for justice, but saw bloodshed; for righteousness, but heard cries of distress.

New Testament Scripture: John 15:1-8

15 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. ² He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. ³ You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. ⁴ Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.

⁵ “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. ⁶ If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. ⁷ If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. ⁸ This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.

Sermon Title: “Bearing Fruit, the Evidence of Life”

Every branch that beareth fruit - That is, all true Christians, for all such bear fruit. To bear fruit is to show by our lives that we are under the influence of the religion of Christ, and that that religion produces in us its appropriate effects, Galatians 5:22-23.

It is also to live so as to be useful to others, as a vineyard is worthless unless it bears fruit that may promote the happiness or subsistence of man, so the Christian principle would be worthless unless Christians should live so that others may be made holy and happy by their example and labors, and so that the world may be brought to the cross of the Saviour.

Jesus teaches about the relationship between the vine and the branches to illustrate spiritual truth.

ü  We bear (internal) spiritual fruit when we allow God to nurture into us a new Christ like quality.

ü  We bear (external) fruit through our witness and in the ways we glorify God.

ü  Jesus said I am the Truevine and my Father is the Vinedresser.The Vinedresser nurtures, trims and defends the vine.

ü  The key secret to cultivating fruit is pruning which means you take away all that is dead or worthless.

August 19

Old Testament:  Daniel 3:16-18  NIV

¹⁶ Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to him, “King Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. ¹⁷ If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it, and he will deliver us from Your Majesty’s hand. ¹⁸ But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up. ”

New Testament: Luke 17:1-10  NIV

17 Jesus said to his disciples: “Things that cause people to stumble are bound to come, but woe to anyone through whom they come. ² It would be better for them to be thrown into the sea with a millstone tied around their neck than to cause one of these little ones to stumble. ³ So watch yourselves.

“If your brother or sister sins against you, rebuke them; and if they repent, forgive them. ⁴ Even if they sin against you seven times in a day and seven times come back to you saying ‘I repent,’ you must forgive them.”

⁵ The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!”

⁶ He replied, “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it will obey you.

⁷ “Suppose one of you has a servant plowing or looking after the sheep. Will he say to the servant when he comes in from the field, ‘Come along now and sit down to eat’? ⁸ Won’t he rather say, ‘Prepare my supper, get yourself ready and wait on me while I eat and drink; after that you may eat and drink’? ⁹ Will he thank the servant because he did what he was told to do? ¹⁰ So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.’”

Sermon Title:  “Lord, Increase our Faith”

Faith

State wholly and steadfastly in God.  Faith lies at the very heart of Christianity, and its importance for today’s Christian is clear from the fact that Protestantism was born through the rediscovery of the great words “The just shall live by faith” (Rom 1:17 KJV).

   Definition.

Faith in the OT and NT carries several meanings.  It may mean simple trust in God or in the Word of God, and at other times faith almost becomes equivalent to active obedience.  It may also find expression in the affirmation of a creedal statement.  Thus it also comes to mean the entire body of received Christian teaching or truth.  So in Colossians 2:7, the term suggests something to be accepted as a whole and embodied in personal life.  In 2 Timothy 4:7 Paul witnesses to having “kept the faith.”

     The OT.

In the OT, faith first involved God as the Creator, Sustainer of life, and the Controller of history.  Psalms such as 19 and 24 are evidence of the trust in God as the Creator, whose sovereign power continues to operate in the creation.

     The NT.

As over against the OT, where the accent is on the faithfulness of God, in the NT the emphasis is placed on the active, responding faith of the hearer to the promised, final revelation in the Messiah, Jesus Christ.  Both verb and noun regularly describe the adequate response of man to Jesus’ word and deed and to the gospel of the primitive church.

ü  Faith makes a difference in how we see ourselves

ü  Faith makes a difference in how we see others

ü  Faith makes a difference in how we respond to life

August 12

Old Testament:  Genesis 22:1-12  

22 Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!”

“Here I am,” he replied.

² Then God said, “Take your son , your only son, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you. ”

³ Early the next morning Abraham got up and loaded his donkey. He took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac. When he had cut enough wood for the burnt offering, he set out for the place God had told him about. ⁴ On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance. ⁵ He said to his servants, “Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you. ”

⁶ Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and placed it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife. As the two of them went on together, ⁷ Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, “Father?”

“Yes, my son?” Abraham replied.

“The fire and wood are here,” Isaac said, “but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?”

⁸ Abraham answered, “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” And the two of them went on together.

⁹ When they reached the place God had told him about, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. ¹⁰ Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. ¹¹ But the angel of the Lord called out to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!”

“Here I am,” he replied.

¹² “Do not lay a hand on the boy,” he said. “Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son. ”

New Testament: Mark 14:3-9

³ While he was in Bethany, reclining at the table in the home of Simon the Leper, a woman came with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, made of pure nard. She broke the jar and poured the perfume on his head.

⁴ Some of those present were saying indignantly to one another, “Why this waste of perfume? ⁵ It could have been sold for more than a year’s wages and the money given to the poor.” And they rebuked her harshly.

⁶ “Leave her alone,” said Jesus. “Why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. ⁷ The poor you will always have with you, and you can help them any time you want. But you will not always have me. ⁸ She did what she could. She poured perfume on my body beforehand to prepare for my burial. ⁹ Truly I tell you, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.”

Sermon Title:  Giving God Our Best! 

Questions for reflection.... 

1) What is your most valuable possession? 

2) Would you be willing to lay it on the altar as a sacrifice unto the Lord? 

3) When you reflect on your life, can you truly say that God is getting your best in service and stewardship?  Please give an example..... 

4) What was the last act of service you rendered in the name of Jesus?  Please describe in one sentence....... 

Thought for today: We are created, called and commissioned to serve in the name of our Lord & Savior, Jesus Christ.....

August 5

Old Testament: Jonah 1:1-17 (NIV)

Background Scriptures: Jonah Chapters 1-4

1 The word of the Lord came to Jonah son of Amittai: ² “Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me.”        

³ But Jonah ran away from the Lord and headed for Tarshish . He went down to Joppa, where he found a ship bound for that port. After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from the Lord.

⁴ Then the Lord sent a great wind on the sea, and such a violent storm arose that the ship threatened to break up. ⁵ All the sailors were afraid and each cried out to his own god. And they threw the cargo into the sea to lighten the ship.

But Jonah had gone below deck, where he lay down and fell into a deep sleep. ⁶ The captain went to him and said, “How can you sleep? Get up and call on your god! Maybe he will take notice of us so that we will not perish.”

⁷ Then the sailors said to each other, “Come, let us cast lots to find out who is responsible for this calamity.” They cast lots and the lot fell on Jonah. ⁸ So they asked him, “Tell us, who is responsible for making all this trouble for us? What kind of work do you do? Where do you come from? What is your country? From what people are you?”

⁹ He answered, “I am a Hebrew and I worship the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land. ”

¹⁰ This terrified them and they asked, “What have you done?” (They knew he was running away from the Lord, because he had already told them so.)

¹¹ The sea was getting rougher and rougher. So they asked him, “What should we do to you to make the sea calm down for us?”

¹² “Pick me up and throw me into the sea,” he replied, “and it will become calm. I know that it is my fault that this great storm has come upon you.”

¹³ Instead, the men did their best to row back to land. But they could not, for the sea grew even wilder than before. ¹⁴ Then they cried out to the Lord, “Please, Lord, do not let us die for taking this man’s life. Do not hold us accountable for killing an innocent man, for you, Lord, have done as you pleased.” ¹⁵ Then they took Jonah and threw him overboard, and the raging sea grew calm. ¹⁶ At this the men greatly feared the Lord, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows to him.

¹⁷ Now the Lord provided a huge fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.

New Testament: Luke 9:59-62 (NIV)

⁵⁹ He said to another man, “Follow me.” But he replied, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.”

⁶⁰ Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”

⁶¹ Still another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say goodbye to my family.”

⁶² Jesus replied, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.” 

Sermon Title: When Killing Time Injures Eternity

Speaker – Minister Tina France 

Things to Consider:

1.   Disobedience is sin (James 4:17)

2.   Obedience is better than sacrifice (I Samuel 15:22)

3.   We can do all things through Christ! (Phil 4:13)

Question for Reflection:

1.   What has God called you to do? Are you doing it?

July 29

Old Testament: 2 Samuel 23:15-17

¹⁵ David longed for water and said, “Oh, that someone would get me a drink of water from the well near the gate of Bethlehem!” ¹⁶ So the three mighty warriors broke through the Philistine lines, drew water from the well near the gate of Bethlehem and carried it back to David. But he refused to drink it; instead, he poured it out before the Lord.

¹⁷ “Far be it from me, Lord, to do this!” he said. “Is it not the blood of men who went at the risk of their lives?” And David would not drink it.

New Testament: John 7:37-38

³⁷ On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. ³⁸ Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.”

 Sermon Title: “The things that matter most”

This story gives insight into the caliber of men with whom David surrounded himself. They treated his wish almost as a command and risked their lives fighting their way through the Philistine garrison in order to bring their leader a drink of water from the well in Bethlehem.

In this text, we see a clear illustration of loyalty and bravery of three warriors which exemplifies the kind of thinking Jesus Christ needs from each of us.  David responses to their kindness by pouring the water on the ground as a sacrifice to God. David teaches us:

1.    To appreciate the sacrifices of others

2.  The cost that is paid makes something sacred

3.  To remember faithful followers

July 22

Old Testament Scripture – Nehemiah 1:1-11

In the month of Kislev the twentieth year, while I was in the citadel of Susa, Hanani, one of my brothers, came from Judah with some other men, and I questioned them about the Jewish remnant that had survived the exile, and also about Jerusalem.³ They said to me, “Those who survived the exile and are back in the province are in great trouble and disgrace. The wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates have been burned with fire.”⁴ When I heard these things, I sat down and wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven. ⁵ Then I said:“Lord, the God of heaven, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and keep his commandments, ⁶ let your ear be attentive and your eyes open to hear the prayer  your servant is praying before you day and night for your servants, the people of Israel. I confess the sins we Israelites, including myself and my father’s family, have committed against you. ⁷ We have acted very wickedly toward you. We have not obeyed the commands, decrees and laws you gave your servant Moses.

⁸ “Remember the instruction you gave your servant Moses, saying, ‘If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the nations, ⁹ but if you return to me and obey my commands, then even if your exiled people are at the farthest horizon, I will gather them from there and bring them to the place I have chosen as a dwelling for my Name.’ ¹⁰ “They are your servants and your people, whom you redeemed by your great strength and your mighty hand. ¹¹ Lord, let your ear be attentive to the prayer of this your servant and to the prayer of your servants who delight in revering your name. Give your servant success today by granting him favor in the presence of this man.” I was cupbearer to the king.

 New Testament Scripture – 1 Peter 5:7-11

⁷ Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. ⁸ Be alert and of sober mind.  Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. ⁹ Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings.  ¹⁰ And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. ¹¹ To him be the power forever and ever. Amen.

Sermon Title: “What to do with Bad News”

Lessons from Nehemiah about Rebuilding:

In ancient cities the only real means of defense were the walls. Sometimes these walls were tremendously thick and high. The walls of the city of

Babylon, as recounted in the story of Daniel, were some 380 feet thick and over 100 feet high – massive, tremendous walls. Therefore, the city of

Babylon considered itself very safe. What does it mean, then, to rebuild the walls of your life? Nehemiah is the account of the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem. And Jerusalem is a symbol of the city of God, God’s dwelling place and the center of life for the world. In an individual life, then, the rebuilding of the walls would be a picture of re-establishing the strength of that life. We have all met people whose defenses have crumbled away. They have become human derelicts, drifting up and down the streets of our large cities, absolutely hopeless and helpless. But God in grace frequently reaches down and gets some of those people and brings them out to rebuild the walls. This is the picture of the way the walls of any life, of any local church, of any community, of any nation, can be rebuilt into strength and power and purpose again:

1. The first step in this process is given in Chapter 1, Verse 4. It begins with a concern about the ruins. Nehemiah says:

When I heard these words I sat down and wept, and mourned for days; and I continued fasting and praying before the God of heaven.  {Neh 1:4 RSV}

2. This is followed by confession. In Chapter 1 is Nehemiah’s wonderful prayer as he confesses that the nation has forsaken God, and acknowledges the justice of God’s dealing with them.

3. That is followed immediately by commitment. Look at Verse 11 of Chapter 1. He says:

“O Lord, let thy ear be attentive to the prayer of thy servant, and to the prayer of thy servants who delight to fear thy name; and give success to thy servant today,” {Neh 1:11a RSV}

To do what? You see, this man has a plan forming in his mind, even while he has been in prayer, of how to go about rebuilding the walls. He has something definite he wants to ask. He says:

“... and grant him [Nehemiah] mercy in the sight of this man.” {Neh 1:11b RSV}

What man? Well, you have it in the next verse:

Now I was cupbearer to the king.  {Neh 1:11c RSV}

July 15

Old Testament:  Psalm 33:6-11 (KJV)

⁶ By the word of the LORD were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth.

⁷ He gathereth the waters of the sea together as an heap: he layeth up the depth in storehouses.

⁸ Let all the earth fear the LORD: let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him.

⁹ For he spake, and it was done; he commanded, and it stood fast.

¹⁰ The LORD bringeth the counsel of the heathen to nought: he maketh the devices of the people of none effect.

¹¹ The counsel of the LORD standeth for ever, the thoughts of his heart to all generations.

 New Testament:  John 1:1-5  (KJV)

¹ In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

² The same was in the beginning with God.

³ All things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made.

⁴ In him was life; and the life was the light of men.

⁵ And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.

Sermon Title:  The Unveiling

In the beginning was the Word:

A “word” is that by which we communicate our will; by which we convey our thoughts; or by which we issue commands the medium of communication with others.  The Son of God may be called “the Word,” because he is the medium by which God promulgates His will and issues His commandments. This term was used by the Jews as applicable to the Messiah.  In their writings he was commonly known by the term “Mimra” that is, “Word;”

The term “Word is the common Greek logos, which meant “speaking, a message, or words.”  “Logos” was widely used in Greek philosophical teaching as well as in Jewish wisdom literature and philosophy.  John chose this term because it was familiar to his readers, but he invested it with his own meaning.  The Word was with God in a special relationship of eternal fellowship in the Trinity.

July 8

Old Testament: Proverbs 3:5-6

⁵     Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;

⁶     in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.^a 

New Testament: Matthew 6:25-34

²⁵ “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? ²⁶ Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them.  Are you not much more valuable than they? ²⁷ Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?  ²⁸ “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. ²⁹ Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. ³⁰ If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith?  ³¹ So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ ³² For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. ³³ But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.   ³⁴ Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Sermon Title: Trusting God Wholeheartedly!

What is the significance of Trust?

Passing from the idea of faith to that of trust, a few exceptional renderings in the A. V. may be noted in the first instance. In Ps. 22:8, ‘He trusted on the Lord,’ the word galal, ‘to roll,’ is used. In Job 35:14, ‘Trust thou in him,’ the word is chul (חול), ‘stay thou (or ‘wait thou’) upon him.’ Yachal (יחל), to hope, occurs in Job 13:15, ‘Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him ;’ and Isa. 51:5, ‘On mine arm shall they trust.’

Chasah (חסה), to flee for refuge, is rendered ‘trust’ in the A. V. in above thirty passages, out of which number twenty-four occur in the Psalms. It is often used where God is compared to a rock or a shield, or where the saint is described as taking refuge ‘under the shadow of his wings.’ It is used in Ps. 2:12, ‘Blessed are all they that put their trust in him;’ where we are taught that the Son affords that same kind of shelter or protection which the Father gives. Compare Ps. 34:8, where the same words are applied to Jehovah. The word is also used in Ps. 118:8, ‘It is better to trust in the Lord than to put any confidence in man;’ in Isa. 14:32, 57:13, and Zeph. 3:12.

The most general word, however, to express trust is bathach (בטח), to confide in, or lean upon.^{ 3} Here it is to be remarked that, though we are in the habit of speaking of faith and trust as the same thing, the Hebrew has two distinct words for them, and so has the LXX. Whilst aman answers to πιστεύω, to believe, or realize, bathach, to trust, is never so rendered, nor is the substantive derived from it ever rendered πίστις. For the verb we generally find ἐλπίζω, to hope, πείθομαι, to be persuaded; and for the noun we have ἐλπίς, hope. The man who believes God is he who, having received a revelation from Him, realizes it, and acts upon it as true. The man who trusts God is he who casts all his hopes for the present and future on God. It is the former quality, not the latter, that God regards as a condition of justification. Faith must precede hope, because a hope for the future which is not grounded upon a present acceptance with God is no hope; and a sense of acceptance which is not accompanied with a living, working faith is an unreality. ¹ 

July 1

Old Testament

Psalm 27: 1-6

New Testament

Acts 14: 8-20 NIV

⁸ In Lystra there sat a man who was lame. He had been that way from birth and had never walked. ⁹ He listened to Paul as he was speaking. Paul looked directly at him, saw that he had faith to be healed ¹⁰ and called out, “Stand up on your feet!” At that, the man jumped up and began to walk

¹             

¹¹ When the crowd saw what Paul had done, they shouted in the Lycaonian language, “The gods have come down to us in human form!” ¹² Barnabas they called Zeus, and Paul they called Hermes because he was the chief speaker. ¹³ The priest of Zeus, whose temple was just outside the city, brought bulls and wreaths to the city gates because he and the crowd wanted to offer sacrifices to them.

¹⁴ But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard of this, they tore their clothes and rushed out into the crowd, shouting: ¹⁵ “Friends, why are you doing this? We too are only human, like you. We are bringing you good news, telling you to turn from these worthless things to the living God, who made the heavens and the earth and the sea and everything in them. ¹⁶ In the past, he let all nations go their own way. ¹⁷ Yet he has not left himself without testimony: He has shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons; he provides you with plenty of food and fills your hearts with joy.” ¹⁸ Even with these words, they had difficulty keeping the crowd from sacrificing to them.

¹⁹ Then some Jews came from Antioch and Iconium and won the crowd over. They stoned Paul and dragged him outside the city, thinking he was dead. ²⁰ But after the disciples had gathered around him, he got up and went back into the city. The next day he and Barnabas left for Derbe. 

Sermon Title: Left to Tell

There are three lessons learned from this text: In

1) Our struggles stretch us and help us to grow spiritually

2) Our surroundings shape us and influence our perspective

3) Our Spiritual connection to God sustains us when the enemy attacks

In Acts 14, we observe the missionaries response to rejection in various forms, and the ways they handled them according to the Gospel. We must act likewise….

June 24

Deuteronomy 2:1-7… Wanderings in the Wilderness

2 Then we turned back and set out toward the wilderness along the route to the Red Sea, as the Lord had directed me. For a long time we made our way around the hill country of Seir.

² Then the Lord said to me, ³ “You have made your way around this hill country long enough; now turn north. ⁴ Give the people these orders:  ‘You are about to pass through the territory of your relatives the descendants of Esau, who live in Seir.  They will be afraid of you, but be very careful. ⁵ Do not provoke them to war, for I will not give you any of their land, not even enough to put your foot on. I have given Esau the hill country of Seir as his own. ⁶ You are to pay them in silver for the food you eat and the water you drink.’”

⁷ The Lord your God has blessed you in all the work of your hands. He has watched over your journey through this vast wilderness.  These forty years the Lord your God has been with you, and you have not lacked anything. 

The Great Commission: Matthew 28:16-20 

¹⁶ Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go.  ¹⁷ When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. ¹⁸ Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.  ¹⁹ Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,  ²⁰ and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Sermon Title: Jesus said, “Just Go!”

DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. SAID THAT, AN INDIVIDUAL HAS NOT STARTED LIVING UNTIL HE CAN RISE ABOVE THE NARROW CONFINES OF HIS INDIVIDUALISTIC CONCERNS TO THE BROADER CONCERNS OF ALL HUMANITY, 

The purpose of the church is to glorify God by equipping the saints for the work of the ministry. "And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ" (Eph. 4:11-12, NASB).

Every member should be growing toward maturity in Christ and every member should be using his or her giftedness toward the completion of the Great Commission (Eph. 4:13-16).

The Great Commission gives us the imperative to make disciples.

And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, 'All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age' (Matt. 28:18-20).

The work of evangelism is central to this task, but it is not exclusive. After evangelism, new converts must be incorporated into the body. They should be baptized and taught how to grow in Christ. This is the task of making disciples. It does not matter which terminology we use to define the process as long as we understand the whole process to be necessary in obeying the commission.

Before we can effectively make disciples of the nations, we must learn to be disciples and to make disciples of our neighbors. Many churches have gotten away from this original charge and tend to focus more on social issues. As we focus on the Great Commission, the social issues will not be forgotten, but there will be a stronger foundation from which to address them.

June 17

Romans 8: 9-17 (NIV)

⁹ You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ. ¹⁰ But if Christ is in you, then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit gives life^[a] because of righteousness. ¹¹ And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of^[b] his Spirit who lives in you.

¹² Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation—but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it. ¹³ For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live.

¹⁴ For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. ¹⁵ The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship.^[c] And by him we cry, “Abba,^[d] Father.” ¹⁶ The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. ¹⁷ Now if we are children, then we are heirs —heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.

Sermon Title – “A Father’s Contribution”

Speaker – Disciple Kemp Harris

 A father’s identity

A father’s interactions

 A father’s instructions

June 10

Psalm 62:1-8 AMP

To the Chief Musician; according to Jeduthun [Ethan, the noted musician, founder of an official musical family]. A Psalm of David.

¹ For God alone my soul waits in silence; from Him comes my salvation.

² He only is my Rock and my Salvation, my Defense and my Fortress, I shall not be greatly moved.

³ How long will you set upon a man that you may slay him, all of you, like a leaning wall, like a tottering fence?

⁴ They only consult to cast him down from his height [to dishonor him]; they delight in lies. They bless with their mouths, but they curse inwardly. Selah [pause, and calmly think of that]!

⁵ My soul, wait only upon God and silently submit to Him; for my hope and expectation are from Him.

⁶ He only is my Rock and my Salvation; He is my Defense and my Fortress, I shall not be moved.

⁷ With God rests my salvation and my glory; He is my Rock of unyielding strength and impenetrable hardness, and my refuge is in God!

⁸ Trust in, lean on, rely on, and have confidence in Him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts before Him. God is a refuge for us (a fortress and a high tower). Selah [pause, and calmly think of that]!

Sermon Title: “Walking In Expectancy”

Guest Pastor - Rev. Dr. Lillie D. Jones

of Fountain of Living Waters Church

 1.     Wait on God and submit to Him

 2.     Be steadfast and unmovable

 3.     Trust in the Lord

June 3

Deuteronomy 31:1-8 (NIV)   Joshua to Succeed Moses

31     Then Moses went out and spoke these words to all Israel: ² “I am now a hundred and twenty years old and I am no longer able to lead you. The Lord has said to me, ‘You shall not cross the Jordan.’ ³ The Lord your God himself will cross over ahead of you. He will destroy these nations before you, and you will take possession of their land. Joshua also will cross over ahead of you, as the Lord said. ⁴ And the Lord will do to them what he did to Sihon and Og, the kings of the Amorites, whom he destroyed along with their land. ⁵ The Lord will deliver them to you, and you must do to them all that I have commanded you. ⁶ Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.”

⁷ Then Moses summoned Joshua and said to him in the presence of all Israel, “Be strong and courageous, for you must go with this people into the land that the Lord swore to their forefathers to give them, and you must divide it among them as their inheritance. ⁸ The Lord himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” ^[1]

Hebrews 13:1-6 (NIV)               Concluding Exhortations

13     Keep on loving each other as brothers. ² Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it. ³ Remember those in prison as if you were their fellow prisoners, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering.

⁴ Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral. ⁵ Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said,

“Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”^a

⁶ So we say with confidence, “The Lord is my helper; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?”

Sermon Title: “A Faithful God, A Faithless People” 

Moses’ life work was now done. He had been marvelously used by the Lord. His confrontation with Pharaoh, the plagues God brought at Moses’ word, the parting of the Red Sea, the Ten Commandments, all these will be forever linked with the name of Moses, Israel’s Law-Giver.

But now that Moses was about to die, he left a last heritage to the new generation.

Moses left a new leader (Deut. 31:1–8). Joshua, who with Caleb remained faithful to God when the first generation rebelled, and who had served as Israel’s military chief, would guide the people in the Promised Land.

“Strong and courageous” (31:6–7, 23). These two words are spoken again and again to Joshua, and appear again in the Book of Joshua (1:6, 9). Each time the exhortation is linked with promises: God will be with Joshua, and will surely enable Israel to conquer Canaan. God has given us promises too. But like Joshua, we must be strong and courageous to claim them.^[2]

Through Moses God gave Israel four reasons to be encouraged during the transition to Joshua as leader…

1.     The Encouragement of Joshua in verse 7 he was told that he would cause the people to inherit the land.

2.     The Experience of Joshua and preparation for leadership throughout his life.

3.     The Example of Joshua, Moses commissioned Joshua before the people.

4.     The Empowerment of Joshua, he is divinely appointed just as the Lord had said in verse 8…

May 20

Old Testament: Joshua 1:1-9

1 After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, the Lord said to Joshua son of Nun, Moses’ aide: ² “Moses my servant is dead. Now then, you and all these people, get ready to cross the Jordan River into the land I am about to give to them —to the Israelites. ³ I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses. ⁴ Your territory will extend from the desert to Lebanon, and from the great river, the Euphrates —all the Hittite country—to the Mediterranean Sea in the west. ⁵ No one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you. ⁶ Be strong and courageous, because you will lead these people to inherit the land I swore to their ancestors to give them.⁷

 “Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. ⁸ Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful. ⁹ Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

New Testament: Hebrews 6:13-20

¹³ When God made his promise to Abraham, since there was no one greater for him to swear by, he swore by himself, ¹⁴ saying, “I will surely bless you and give you many descendants.”^{[a] 15} And so after waiting patiently, Abraham received what was promised.

¹⁶ People swear by someone greater than themselves, and the oath confirms what is said and puts an end to all argument. ¹⁷ Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of his purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, he confirmed it with an oath. ¹⁸ God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope set before us may be greatly encouraged. ¹⁹ We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, ²⁰ where Jesus, who went before us, has entered on our behalf. He has become a high priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.

Sermon Title: “The Certainty of God’s Promises” 

Notice that God gives every encouragement to Joshua: (1) the promise of the land, vv. 2–4; (2) the promise of His presence, v. 5; and (3) the assurance that God would keep His word, vv. 6–9.

It is interesting to study the verbs God uses: “the land which I do give...” (v. 2); “...that have I given” (v. 3); “...to this people you shall divide...” (nkjv, v. 6). He had already given them the land; all they had to do was step out by faith and claim it! God has already given us “every blessing of the Spirit” in Christ (Eph. 1:3). All we need do is step out by faith and possess our possessions.

As God was with Moses, so He would be with Joshua: “I will not leave you nor forsake you” (v. 5). This promise was repeated to Solomon (1 Chron. 28:20), and is given to us in Heb. 13:5–6. Leaders change, and times change, but God changes not. Notice that courage is demanded in the Christian life (vv. 6–7, 9), but this courage is supplied by the Word of God (v. 8). Moses had been writing “the Book of the Law” (Ex. 17:14; 24:4–7; Num. 33:2; Deut. 31:9–13), and this Book was now given to Joshua. He was to read the Book, meditate upon it night and day, and obey its commands. See Pss. 1:1–3 and 119:15. If Joshua was able to conquer Canaan having only the first five books of the Bible, how much more ought we to overcome now that we have a complete Bible!

The meaning of Promise: an assurance of some future act. Although absent as a specific term in the ot, the concept of promise runs throughout its narrative. The prediction of innumerable offspring to childless Abraham and Sarah (Gen. 15:5; 17:6-7; 22:17-18), of a land for Israel (Gen. 15:18-21; 50:22-25), of the perpetual rule of David’s descendants (2 Sam. 7:16), and of a future world to God’s liking (e.g., Isa. 11:1-9) all function implicitly as promise. Later Jewish traditions explicitly link God’s promises to the future world, giving it an eschatological character.

In the nt, the word ‘promise,’ both as noun and verb, is used extensively. Paul found scriptural authority for his Gentile mission in God’s promise to Abraham through whom all nations (i.e., Gentiles) would be blessed (Rom. 4:9-25; Gal. 3:6-29). Through faith in Christ, God’s promise was being fulfilled, and Gentiles were becoming Abraham’s offspring (Rom. 4:16), members of the children of promise (Rom. 15:8-12) without reference to the law. The inclusion of the Gentiles, however, does not nullify God’s promises to the Jews (Rom. 9:4). Ultimately, Jews and Gentiles will gather as one people of God (Rom. 11:25-26).

May 13

Sermon Title:  A Life Changing Conversation – Part Two

Your Personal Testimony

It is written, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!"—Roman 10:15b (Isaiah 52:7)

Helpful Hints:

• Write the way you speak—make the testimony yours.
• Choose one main point and carry it throughout the testimony.
• Be truthful. Don’t be overly negative or positive..
• Don’t criticize or name any church, denomination, organization, etc.
• Time limit should be 3 minutes.

Practice it over and over until it becomes natural.

The breastplate of righteousness protects us from the feeling that we are not good enough to be saved.

1. Before I Accepted Christ (or gave Him complete control of my life):

1. What was my life like that will relate most to the non-Christian?
2. What did my life revolve around? From what did I get my happiness or security? (Remember, the non-Christian is relying on something external to give him /her happiness and meaning.)
3. Explain how material things let you down?

 2. How I Received Christ (or gave Him complete control):

1. When was the first time I heard the gospel? (Or when was I first exposed to Christianity?)
2. What were my initial reactions?
3. When did my attitude begin to change? Why?
4. What were the doubts or struggles that went through my mind just before I accepted Christ?
5. Why did I accept Christ?

3. After I Accepted Christ (or gave Him complete control):

1. What are the specific changes Christ has made in my life?
2. Are there any illustrations that would be helpful?

May 6

Old Testament: Psalm 23

The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
² He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
³ he refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths
for his name’s sake.
⁴ Even though I walk
through the darkest valley,^[a]
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.

⁵ You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
⁶ Surely your goodness and love will follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord
forever.

New Testament: Matthew 25:31-40

³¹ “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. ³² All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. ³³ He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

³⁴ “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. ³⁵ For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, ³⁶ I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

³⁷ “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? ³⁸ When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? ³⁹ When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

⁴⁰ “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’  

Sermon Title: “Is Jesus Your Shepherd?” 

In this life there will be separations that take place, but the most important will be the one where Jesus determines if you are a sheep or a goat. You are a sheep if he is your shepherd.

Five important points about Jesus being your Shepherd

1.      For Jesus to be your shepherd you must be in relationship with Him.

2.      There are great benefits to being in relationship with Jesus.

3.      There are responsibilities you have if you are in relationship with Jesus.

4.      If you have left the relationship with Jesus you can return.

5.      The eternal rewards of relationship with Jesus are awesome.

April 29

Old Testament: Psalm 4

 ¹ Answer me when I call to you, my righteous God. Give me relief from my distress; have mercy on me and hear my prayer. ² How long will you people turn my glory into shame? How long will you love delusions and seek false gods^[b]?^{[c] 3} Know that the LORD has set apart his faithful servant for himself; the LORD hears when I call to him. ⁴ Tremble and^[d] do not sin; when you are on your beds, search your hearts and be silent. ⁵ Offer the sacrifices of the righteous and trust in the LORD. ⁶ Many, LORD, are asking, “Who will bring us prosperity?” Let the light of your face shine on us. ⁷ Fill my heart with joy when their grain and new wine abound. ⁸ In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, LORD, make me dwell in safety.

New Testament: Luke 24:13-27

The Road to Emmaus…¹³ Now that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles^a from Jerusalem. ¹⁴ They were talking with each other about everything that had happened. ¹⁵ As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them; ¹⁶ but they were kept from recognizing him. ¹⁷ He asked them, “What are you discussing together as you walk along?” They stood still, their faces downcast. ¹⁸ One of them, named Cleopas, asked him, “Are you only a visitor to Jerusalem and do not know the things that have happened there in these days?” ¹⁹ “What things?” he asked. “About Jesus of Nazareth,” they replied. “He was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people. ²⁰ The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him; ²¹ but we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel. And what is more, it is the third day since all this took place. ²² In addition, some of our women amazed us. They went to the tomb early this morning ²³ but didn’t find his body. They came and told us that they had seen a vision of angels, who said he was alive. ²⁴ Then some of our companions went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but him they did not see.” ²⁵ He said to them, “How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! ²⁶ Did not the Christ^b have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?” ²⁷ And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.  

Sermon Title: “A Life Changing Conversation”

 Emmaus was a town in Judea which appears only once in Scripture (Lk 24:13). It was the destination of two disciples to whom Jesus appeared after the crucifixion. Following the resurrection, Cleopas and a friend were going to Emmaus when they encountered another traveler. They walked the road and talked together, but the disciples did not recognize that the stranger was Jesus. Jesus asked them the nature of their conversation, and was told of the crucifixion, the empty tomb, and their discouragement that things had not worked out as they hoped. Jesus then rebuked them (v 25), and “beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself” (v 27). When they reached their destination, Jesus accepted an invitation to spend the night. As they ate the evening meal, he blessed the bread, broke it, and gave it to them to eat. At that moment they recognized him. After Jesus vanished from their sight, they returned to Jerusalem to report the event to the apostles. 

Five important steps to take on your road to Emmaus:
 1. Know what His word says. Know the Bible. Jesus spoke to the disciples from the Old Testament scriptures. I.e. Psalm 22
 2. Spend time with Him, quiet, meditation with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
 3. Gather with other believers-- Jesus took time to meet with followers. He made 17 different visits to over 500 people in the 40 day period after the resurrection.
4. Live with a sense of expectancy; Expect Jesus to show up in your situation.
5. Make room for Jesus to act in your situation. Invite Him in as the two followers did.

April 22

Old Testament: Ezekiel 37:1-14…..¹ The hand of the LORD was on me, and he brought me out by the Spirit of the LORD and set me in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. ² He led me back and forth among them, and I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley, bones that were very dry. ³ He asked me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” I said, “Sovereign LORD, you alone know.” ⁴ Then he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones and say to them, ‘Dry bones, hear the word of the LORD! ⁵ This is what the Sovereign LORD says to these bones: I will make breath^[a] enter you, and you will come to life. ⁶ I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the LORD.’” ⁷ So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone. ⁸ I looked, and tendons and flesh appeared on them and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them. ⁹ Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to it, ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: Come, breath, from the four winds and breathe into these slain, that they may live.’” ¹⁰ So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet—a vast army. ¹¹ Then he said to me: “Son of man, these bones are the people of Israel. They say, ‘Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off.’ ¹² Therefore prophesy and say to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign LORD says: My people, I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them; I will bring you back to the land of Israel. ¹³ Then you, my people, will know that I am the LORD, when I open your graves and bring you up from them. ¹⁴ I will put my Spirit in you and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land. Then you will know that I the LORD have spoken, and I have done it, declares the LORD.’”

New Testament: John 16:7-14….⁷ But very truly I tell you, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. ⁸ When he comes, he will prove the world to be in the wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment: ⁹ about sin, because people do not believe in me; ¹⁰ about righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer; ¹¹ and about judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned. ¹² “I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. ¹³ But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. ¹⁴ He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you.

Sermon Title: “Tweets from Heaven” 

For three years, Jesus had been with them to protect them from attack; but now He was about to leave them. It was necessary for Jesus to explain why it was important for them that He return to the Father. The major reason, of course, is that the Holy Spirit might come to empower the church for life and witness. Also, the ascended Savior would be able to intercede for His people at the heavenly throne of grace. With all of their faults, the disciples dearly loved their Master; and it was difficult for them to grasp these new truths.  

It is important to note that the Spirit comes to the church and not to the world. This means that He works in and through the church. The Holy Spirit does not minister in a vacuum. Just as the Son of God had to have a body in order to do His work on earth, so the Spirit of God needs a body to accomplish His ministries; and that body is the church. Our bodies are His tools and temples, and He wants to use us to glorify Christ and to witness to a lost world.

The Holy Spirit works through the people in whom He lives. The Holy Spirit convicts the world of one particular sin, the sin of unbelief. The law of God and the conscience of man will convict the sinner of his sins (plural) specifically; but it is the work of the Spirit, through the witness of the believers, to expose the unbelief of the lost world.

The Spirit also convicts the sinner of righteousness, not unrighteousness. Whose righteousness? The righteousness of Jesus Christ, the perfect Lamb of God. The world would not receive the Son of God (John 1:10), so He has returned to the Father. The Spirit of God reveals the Savior in the Word and in this way glorifies Him (John 16:13–14). The Spirit also reveals Christ in the lives of believers. The world cannot receive or see the Spirit of God, but they can see what He does as they watch the lives of dedicated believers.

April 15

Old Testament – Proverbs 22: 6 15-21

 Proverbs 22: 6, 15-21

⁶Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.

¹⁵Folly is bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod of discipline will drive it far from him.

¹⁶He who oppresses the poor to increase his wealth and he who gives gifts to the rich--both come to poverty.

¹⁷Pay attention and listen to the sayings of the wise; apply your heart to what I teach,

¹⁸for it is pleasing when you keep them in your heart and have all of them ready on your lips.

¹⁹So that your trust may be in the LORD, I teach you today, even you.

²⁰Have I not written thirty sayings for you, sayings of counsel and knowledge,

²¹teaching you true and reliable words, so that you can give sound answers to him who sent you?

 New Testament - Ephesians 6: 1-4

Ephesians 6: 1-4 

¹Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.

²Honor your father and mother"--which is the first commandment with a promise—

³that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.

⁴Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.

 Sermon Title:  Are You Training a Fan or a Follower?

        When Jesus gave us the Great Commission in the 28^th chapter of Matthew, he said, “¹⁹Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you”. Implied in these instructions are that we should start at home first. Therefore, from our homes, we should go out to all nations making disciples. Our family and especially our children should be our first converts. If we cannot teach and train our child to follow Jesus then we are not likely to convert strangers either.

Most parents, relatives, guardians, and mentors are training their children according to Proverbs 22: 6 and Ephesians 6:4. However, too many of our children are moving away from the church and Christ at an alarming rate.  In Kyle Idleman’s book, Not A Fan, he asks the question; “Are we a fan or a follower?” The question that needs to be asked however is; “Are we training our children to be fans or followers of Jesus Christ?” There are 3 important questions to ask ourselves as we explore this idea of training a fan or a follower.

1.      What is the difference between a fan and a follower and which one are you?

a.     Examples of fans:

                                          i.    Luke 9:57-62

                                         ii.    Matt 15:8

b.     Examples of followers

                                          i.    Matthew 9:8

                                         ii.    2 Timothy 1:5

2.     What does Proverbs 22:6 actually mean when it says train up?

a.     To develop a thirst for

b.     To develop a strong desire for

3.     Do you have the right kind of relationship with your children in order to train them?

a.     Are you a friend?

b.     Are you a tyrant?

c.     Are you a real parent?

       In the end, training will lead to one of two places. Improper training will lead to what Jesus said in Matthew 7:23--- “And the will I declare to them, I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness”. Proper training will lead to what Jesus said in Matthew 25:34---"Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world’”.

April 8 - Easter Sunday

Old Testament……Isaiah 25: 6-9

⁶ On this mountain the LORD Almighty will prepare a feast of rich food for all peoples, a banquet of aged wine— the best of meats and the finest of wines.

 ⁷ On this mountain he will destroy the shroud that enfolds all peoples, the sheet that covers all nations;

⁸ he will swallow up death forever. The Sovereign LORD will wipe away the tears from all faces; he will remove his people’s disgrace from all the earth. The LORD has spoken.

⁹ In that day they will say, “Surely this is our God; we trusted in him, and he saved us. This is the LORD, we trusted in him; let us rejoice and be glad in his salvation.”

New Testament……Mark 16:1-8

¹ When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus’ body. ² Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb ³ and they asked each other, “Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?”

⁴ But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away. ⁵ As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed.

⁶ “Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. ⁷ But go; tell his disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.’”

⁸ Trembling and bewildered, the women went out and fled from the tomb. They said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid.^[a]  

Sermon Title:  “He Has Risen, Alleluia! ”

I.  Resurrection in the Old Testament – There is little about resurrection in the OT.  That is not to say that it is not there.  It is.  But it is not prominent.  The men of the OT were very practical men, concentrating on the task of living out the present life in the service of God, and they had little time to spare for speculation about the next.  Moreover, it must not be forgotten that they lived on the other side of Christ’s resurrection, and it is this which gives the doctrine its basis.  Sometimes they used the idea of resurrection to express the national hope of the re-birth of the nation (e.g. Ezk.37).  The plainest statement on the resurrection of the individual is undoubtedly that in Dn. 12:2 ‘many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt’.  This clearly envisages a resurrection both of the righteous and of the wicked, and it sees also eternal consequences of men’s actions.  There are other passages which look for resurrection, chiefly some in the Psalms (e.g. Pss. 16:10f,;49:14f.).  Sometimes the prophets also give utterance to this thought (e.g. Is. 26:19).  But on the whole the OT says little about it.

II.  The resurrection of Christ – On three occasions Christ brought back people from the dead (the daughter of Jairus, the son of the widow of Nain, and Lazarus).  These, however, are not to be thought of as resurrection so much as resuscitation.  There is no indication that any of these people did other than come back to the life that they had left.  And Paul tells us explicitly that Christ is ‘the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep’ (1 Cor. 15:20).  But these miracles show us Christ as the master of death.  This comes out again in the fact that he prophesied that he would rise 3 days after he was crucified (Mk. 8:31; 9:31; 10:34, etc).  This point is important.  It shows Christ as supremely the master of the situation.  And it also means that the resurrection is of the very first importance, for the veracity of our Lord is involved.

III. The resurrection of Believers – Not only did Jesus rise, but one day all men too will rise.  Jesus refuted the scepticism of the Sadducees on this point with an interesting argument from Scripture (Mt. 22:31-32).  The general NT position is that the resurrection of Christ carries with it the resurrection of believers.  Jesus said, ‘I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live’ (Jn. 11:25).  Several times he spoke of raising believers up at the last day (Jn. 6:39-40, 44, 54).  The Sadducees were grieved because the apostles were ‘proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection from the dead’ (Acts 4:2).  Paul tells us that ‘as by a man came death, by a man came also the resurrection from the dead’.  For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive’ (1Cor. 15:21f.; cf. 1 Thes. 4:14).

April 1

Isaiah 50:4-9a   Israel’s Sin and the Servant’s Obedience

⁴ The Sovereign LORD has given me a well-instructed tongue, to know the word that sustains the weary. He wakens me morning by morning, wakens my ear to listen like one being instructed. ⁵ The Sovereign LORD has opened my ears; I have not been rebellious, I have not turned away. ⁶ I offered my back to those who beat me, my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard; I did not hide my face from mocking and spitting. ⁷ Because the Sovereign LORD helps me, I will not be disgraced. Therefore have I set my face like flint, and I know I will not be put to shame. ⁸ He who vindicates me is near. Who then will bring charges against me? Let us face each other! Who is my accuser? Let him confront me! ⁹ It is the Sovereign LORD who helps me. Who will condemn me?

Philippians 2:5-11    Imitating Christ’s Humility

⁵ In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: ⁶ Who, being in very nature^[a] God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; ⁷ rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature^[b] of a servant, being made in human likeness. ⁸ And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross!

⁹ Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, ¹⁰ that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, ¹¹ and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.  

Sermon Title:     “The Heart of a Servant”

In the nt servants frequently appear in the Gospels, especially in the parables (Matt. 18:23-35; 21:33-44). For Jesus the concept becomes a way of expressing humankind’s relationship to God. God is the Lord to whom the believer owes unreserved service. ‘No one can serve two masters’ (Matt. 6:24). Nor is a servant above the master (Matt. 10:24). Rather, the faithful servant does the master’s will (Matt. 24:45-46) and realizes that in the presence of God even the best disciple is only an unprofitable servant (Luke 17:10).  Jesus presents himself as a servant when he washes his disciples’ feet at the Last Supper (John 13:1-20). He tells his disciples that he came ‘not to be served but to serve’ (Mark 10:45), and Matthew (12:18-21) quotes from the first servant song (Isa. 42:1-4) to describe Jesus. Likewise, Paul, quoting from an early Christian hymn, says that although Jesus was in the form of God, he ‘emptied himself, taking the form of a servant’ (Phil. 2:7). On the basis of his own example, then, Jesus encourages his disciples to be servants to each other (Mark 10:44; John 13:14). Obedient to this exhortation, Christians refer to themselves as ‘servants of God’ (1 Pet. 2:16) and ‘servants of Christ’ (1 Cor. 7:22; Eph. 6:6). The latter, however, is the most frequent. Paul describes himself as a ‘servant of Jesus Christ’ (Rom. 1:1; Gal. 1:10; Phil. 1:1), as do the authors of James (1:1), 2 Peter (1:1), and Jude (1). Service to God and Jesus Christ, however, implies a change of allegiance from one lord to another. Paul makes this clear when he writes that Christians were once enslaved to other masters such as sin (Rom. 6:16-19) and the elemental spirits of the universe (Gal. 4:3). But with the coming of Christ this servitude is ended (Gal. 4:4-7). A similar idea is expressed in John when Jesus says ‘everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin’ (8:34).  

In this regard, the nt is dramatically different from its milieu. For the Greek the highest ideal was self-determination expressed in freedom. Thus the Greek looked upon the slave as an inferior kind of person. It would have been contradictory to the Greek ideal to speak of becoming a servant to another, even to God. Christianity stood this ideal upon its head, but did not challenge the institution of slavery as such. Paul encourages slaves to be obedient (Eph. 6:5; Col. 3:22) and he sends the runaway slave Onesimus back to his master (Philem.). Nonetheless the nt undermines the institution of slavery inasmuch as it proclaims a radical equality in Christ (1 Cor. 7:21-22; Gal. 3:28; Col. 3:11). See also Isaiah, The Book of; Jesus Christ; Prophet.  Bibliography

March 25

Psalm 116:1-9

¹ I love the LORD, for he heard my voice;
he heard my cry for mercy. ² Because he turned his ear to me,
I will call on him as long as I live. ³ The cords of death entangled me,
the anguish of the grave came over me; I was overcome by distress and sorrow. ⁴ Then I called on the name of the LORD:
“LORD, save me!” ⁵ The LORD is gracious and righteous;
our God is full of compassion. ⁶ The LORD protects the unwary;
when I was brought low, he saved me. ⁷ Return to your rest, my soul,
for the LORD has been good to you. ⁸ For you, LORD, have delivered me from death, my eyes from tears,  my feet from stumbling,
⁹ that I may walk before the LORD in the land of the living.

Mark 8: 27-30 Peter Declares That Jesus Is the Messiah

²⁷ Jesus and his disciples went on to the villages around Caesarea Philippi. On the way he asked them, “Who do people say I am?”

²⁸ They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets.”

²⁹ “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”

Peter answered, “You are the Messiah.”

³⁰ Jesus warned them not to tell anyone about him.  

Sermon Title: What are you saying about Jesus?

In each of the synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) one question Jesus asked His disciples marks a turning point. That question is, “Who do people say I am?” (Mark 8:27: see also Matt. 16:13; Luke 9:18)

The disciples reported what the people were saying, people who had seen Jesus’ miracles, listened to His teaching, been restored by His healing power, and eaten of the bread and fishes He had multiplied. Everywhere people were convinced that Jesus was among the greatest of the prophets, and might even be one of the ancients restored to life!

And then the synoptic Gospel writers each tell us that Jesus asked His disciples, “But who do you say that I am?”

Peter answered for them all.

“You are the Christ.”

What is so significant about this incident is that three Gospels tell us that from this point there was a shift in Jesus’ ministry. Only then did Jesus begin to teach His disciples about His coming death. In fact, from this point on Jesus focused His ministry more and more on instructing the Twelve.

Why? Because these men acknowledged Jesus for who He is: the Christ, the Son of God. The compliments of the crowds who linked Jesus with the greatest of Old Testament saints fell far short, for they failed to acknowledge Him for who He is. Those compliments in fact constituted a rejection of Jesus, a damning with faint praise.

There is no way that people who will not believe in Jesus can really profit from His instruction. Without the personal relationship with God which is established by faith, what a person does is completely irrelevant. It is only as we believe and obey that Jesus can fill our lives with newness. It is only faith and obedience that can transform. 

March 18

Old Testament …………..Psalm 27:1, 4-9

New Testament………….Matthew 4:17-22 (Main Text)

Psalm 27: 1, 4-9

¹ The LORD is my light and my salvation—
whom shall I fear? The LORD is the stronghold of my life—
of whom shall I be afraid?

⁴ One thing I ask from the LORD, this only do I seek:
that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life,
to gaze on the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple.
⁵ For in the day of trouble he will keep me safe in his dwelling;
he will hide me in the shelter of his sacred tent and set me high upon a rock.

⁶ Then my head will be exalted above the enemies who surround me;
at his sacred tent I will sacrifice with shouts of joy; I will sing and make music to the LORD.

⁷ Hear my voice when I call, LORD; be merciful to me and answer me.
⁸ My heart says of you, “Seek his face!” Your face, LORD, I will seek.
⁹ Do not hide your face from me, do not turn your servant away in anger; you have been my helper. Do not reject me or forsake me, God my Savior.

Matthew 4: 18-22………….Jesus Calls His First Disciples

¹⁸ As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. ¹⁹ “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” ²⁰ At once they left their nets and followed him.

²¹ Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them, ²² and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.

Sermon Title:  “Immediately”

ü  A Disciple is one who both identifies with and learns from his master. The Teacher is a model of Truth that is being shared demonstrating how to integrate Faith with life and learning, and modeling the Spirit and Character the student is to achieve. (quote from Myron S. Augsburger).

ü    The Discipleship Process……Salvation + Intentionality + Training + Community = Life Change

ü  There are two main points about the ministry of Jesus: 1) the context of His Ministry…Jesus moved from Nazareth to Capernaum by the sea with more of a focus on the Gentiles ,and away from the Jewish community. 2) the content of His Ministry is stated briefly in verse #17…Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at Hand”. The word from the Master is to repent. Repenting or converting is always a change of direction. It is not first a moralistic change, but is first of all a change in the orientation of self. If we are to be participants in the Kingdom of heaven, then we are to live by the rule of the King!

ü  In Isaiah 61:1-3 there is a brief description of the Messiah’s Mission…

The Year of the LORD’s Favor

¹ The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners,^[a]2 to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, ³ and provide for those who grieve in Zion— to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendor.

ü    As  Disciples of Jesus Christ it is our responsibility to invite others to become fellow-disciples in the expansion of the Kingdom of God…

March 11

Old Testament – Psalm 34:1-8

¹ I will extol the LORD at all times;
his praise will always be on my lips.
² I will glory in the LORD;
let the afflicted hear and rejoice.
³ Glorify the LORD with me;
let us exalt his name together.

⁴ I sought the LORD, and he answered me;
he delivered me from all my fears.
⁵ Those who look to him are radiant;
their faces are never covered with shame.
⁶ This poor man called, and the LORD heard him;
he saved him out of all his troubles.
⁷ The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him,
and he delivers them.

⁸ Taste and see that the LORD is good;
blessed is the one who takes refuge in him.

New Testament – 2 Corinthians 5:16-21

¹⁶ So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. ¹⁷ Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come:^[a] The old has gone, the new is here! ¹⁸ All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: ¹⁹ that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. ²⁰ We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. ²¹ God made him who had no sin to be sin^[b] for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

Sermon Title:  “Fire Yourself”

Perhaps there is nothing more disconcerting to the Lord then when we replace him in our life by our own ego, we "edge God out", and we become our own higher power. It is something that we, either live that way or something that we often just do. Through His grace we have been given the free will to believe in Jesus Christ and follow him, or to not. The choice we make though, has eternal significance. 

When we are not in the Lord we get wrapped-up in the trappings of this world.  We get wrapped-up in improving our position, our possessions, our power. But is clearly written in the Word:

1 John 2:15-17 (NIV)

“Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. [16] For everything in the world---the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does---comes not from the Father but from the world. [17] The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.”  

So, first and foremost, we must accept Christ as our savior and believe with all of our being that He is the path to salvation. When we do this, when we fire ourselves as our own higher power, "we are a new creation; the old has gone and the new has come!" We then have to stop relying on our own understanding and reach out for his direction and guidance. And we have to live a life that is Christ-like and embrace the Fruit of the Spirit: Galatians 5:22-23 (NIV) "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, [23] gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law." 

When we are in Christ, we are being watched; with many just waiting to point when we stumble. So as witnesses of the Lord we must remain connected, we must pray daily and serve Him in all that we do. Why? Because: 

Proverbs 21:21 (NIV)

He who pursues righteousness and love finds life, prosperity and honor. 

It is a good thing!

March 4

Old Testament – Psalm 51:1-8

New Testament – Luke 15:11-24

 ¹¹ Jesus continued: “There was a man who had two sons. ¹² The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them. ¹³ “Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. ¹⁴ After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. ¹⁵ So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. ¹⁶ He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.

   ¹⁷ “When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! ¹⁸ I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. ¹⁹ I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’ ²⁰ So he got up and went to his father.  “But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him. ²¹ “The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’

   ²² “But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. ²³ Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. ²⁴ For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.

Sermon Title: “It’s Okay, Talk to Yourself”

The importance of Repentance…

     Repentance requires the right attitude towards sin. This is Godly sorrow. Repentance is the right attitude toward God; it is a return to God. Repentance is the right attitude toward self. The Prodigal Son came to himself. Repentance is the right attitude toward others. The Phillipian jailer took Paul and Silas the same hour of the night and washed their stripes.

     Repentance is not just Godly sorrow. Paul told the Corinthians in II Corinthians, Chapter 7, verse 10, that Godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of. Repentance is not gloomy despair. When Judas sold his Master for thirty pieces of silver, he was filled with gloom and despair, so much that he committed suicide, but he did not repent.

     Repentance is not quitting a sin for a season, it is totally turning from that act of sin. It is a complete one hundred-eighty degree turn. Repentance is not concealing sin. David tried to conceal his sin, but God exposed it. Concealing sin is like trying to cover up spilled seed in order to hide it, eventually the seed comes up and is exposed.

     Jesus focused on the lost as a priority. In Luke Chapter 15, Jesus talks about the lost sheep, the lost coin and the lost son.

ü  The sheep got lost naturally

ü  The Coin got lost accidentally

ü  The Son got lost willingly

     By this beautiful parable our Blessed Lord teaches us how willing Almighty God is to receive the penitent sinner, and how rejoiced He is at his return. Our Lord describes: 1. the falling away of a sinner from God; 2. the return of the sinner to God; and 3. God’s reception of the penitent sinner.

February 26

Old Testament Scripture – Psalm 23

¹The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.

²He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.

³He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.

⁴Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

⁵Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.

⁶Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

New Testament Scripture (Acts 2:42-47) (Main text for sermon)

⁴² They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. ⁴³ Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. ⁴⁴ All the believers were together and had everything in common. ⁴⁵ They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. ⁴⁶ Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, ⁴⁷ praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

Sermon Title: The Church Jesus Built

For the Christian community, fellowship and unity of purpose are valuable only when rooted in fellowship with Christ and in the unity of his Spirit. The unity of the Christian community derives from and is guided by the gift of the Spirit that lies at the heart of its life together.  The Jerusalem Church was one which had all things in common. In our benedictions we speak of the communion of the Holy Spirit. The word “communion,” koinönia, means having in common, it also means fellowship. There is no true fellowship without Christ’s Spirit in us and between us. He is what we have in common. The Church is the fellowship of those given by Christ to be to each other what he has been to them, so that together they can be to the world a demonstration of the new humanity He died and lives to make possible.

Qualities of the New Jerusalem Church

ü  Joint Study

ü  Sharing Food and Fellowship

ü  Praying Together

ü  Caring for each other’s needs

ü  Joyful Celebration

The first Christians were “regular” Christians

ü  Regular in church going –“All the believers were together” (verse 44)

ü  Regular in church giving – “Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need” (verse 45).

ü  Regular in church mission – Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, ⁴⁷ praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

February 19

Old Testament Scripture –Joel 3: 9-14 (Background Scripture)

Joel 3:14 (NIV)

 ¹⁴ Multitudes, multitudes
   in the valley of decision!
For the day of the LORD is near
   in the valley of decision.

New Testament Scripture – James 1: 21-27 (Main text for sermon)

James 1:21-27 (NIV)

²¹ Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.

 ²² Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. ²³ Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror ²⁴ and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. ²⁵ But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do.

 ²⁶ Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless. ²⁷ Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

Sermon Title:  “The Valley of Indecision”

James tells us in Chapter 1: 22, “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.”

The prevailing thought of the day is that if we “know” God, we have fulfilled our obligations to be Christians. But the bible tells us that we are to “obey” God, if we are to be true followers of His Son Jesus Christ.

What does it mean to “obey” God?

1. Make The Decision: Accept the gift of salvation and hold fast the profession of your faith (Hebrews 10:23)

²³ Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.

2. Give God Control: Recognize that you cannot live for Him on your own strength. (Proverbs 16:25)

There is a way that appears to be right, but in the end it leads to death.

3. Keep the Faith: Faith in God and His plan for you life will lead you to a successful outcome. (2 Timothy 4:7-8)

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. ⁸ Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.

February 12

Old Testament Scripture – Psalm 16 (Background Scripture)

New Testament Scripture – Acts 2:29-39 (Main text for sermon)

 ²⁹ “Fellow Israelites, I can tell you confidently that the patriarch David died and was buried, and his tomb is here to this day. ³⁰ But he was a prophet and knew that God had promised him on oath that he would place one of his descendants on his throne. ³¹ Seeing what was to come, he spoke of the resurrection of the Messiah, that he was not abandoned to the realm of the dead, nor did his body see decay. ³² God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of it. ³³ Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear. ³⁴ For David did not ascend to heaven, and yet he said,

   “‘The Lord said to my Lord:
   “Sit at my right hand
³⁵ until I make your enemies
   a footstool for your feet.”’^[f]

 ³⁶ “Therefore let all Israel be assured of this:  God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah.”

 ³⁷ When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?”

 ³⁸ Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. ³⁹ The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.”

Sermon Title:  “When a Coward stands up”!

The basic thrust of Peter’s sermon is a clear declaration that life in Christ is God’s will for his people and all creation. Peter preached with such courage because he was convinced that the Messiah’s life, death, and resurrection were the manifestation of God’s immutable, irrevocable will for the salvation of the world.

The first Christian sermon preached by Peter was (Christ-centered). Peter preached Christ, His incarnate life, death, crucifixion, resurrection and immanent presence.

Peter was saying to the crowd in Jerusalem that God’s will for the atonement and reconciliation  could not be stopped  or altered. It was God’s plan and He did it.

They cried out, “what shall we do?” Peter was ready with an answer and the first Christian invitation to a congregation: “Repent, and let everyone of you be baptized  in the name of Jesus for the remission of sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (v.38).

The Greek meaning of Repent:

The word translated repent in English New Testaments is the Greek word metanoeo.

Bullinger's Dictionary² says metanoeo means, "to perceive afterwards, hence, to change one's mind and purpose. This change is always for the better, and denotes a change of moral thought and reflection; not merely to repent of, nor to forsake sin, but to change one's mind and apprehensions regarding it. Metanoeo denotes to reform, to have a genuine change of heart and life from worse to better."

Peter recommends three things  we should do:

1. Repent of our sins
2. Return to God
3. Receive the gift of the Holy Spirit
 

February 5th

The Holy Spirit Comes at Pentecost

2 When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. 2 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a
violent wind came from Heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 They saw what seemed to
be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. 4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit
and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. Acts 2:1-4

Sermon Title: "The Fire in Jerusalem"

The promise from Jesus is found in John 15:26-27.....26 "When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you
from the Father--the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father -- he will testify about me. 27 And you also must
testify, for you have been with me form the beginning.

The promise is fulfilled on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1-4) when the power of the Holy Spirit was poured upon
the disciples.

The term "filled with the Holy Spirit" is used five times in Acts 2:4; 4:8; 4:31; 9:17; 13:9....

Question : What does it mean to be filled with the Holy Spirit?

January 29th

8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be by witnesses in Jerusalem, and in
all Judea, and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. (NIV) Acts 1:8

Sermon Title: "A Prescription for Spiritual Power"
A Christ filled witness is marked by his or her:

Accountability to Christ and People
Approachability as a receptive, relaxed, responsive, human being
Adaptability in presenting the essential message for particular needs
Accountability in taking responsibility for following through

There are three relationships Jesus talked about that a person can and should have with the Holy Spirit!
1. He is with us when we are convicted of our need to be born again (John 14:17)........7 If you had known of Me,
you would have known My Father also; from now on you (J) know Him, and have (K) seen Him.

2. He comes in us the moment we open our heart to the Savior (John 20:22)....." 22 And when He had said this He
breathed on them and * said to them Receive the Holy Spirit.

3. He comes upon us when He empowers us for service (Acts 1:5)...... 5 For John baptized with (c) water, but in a
few days you will be baptized with (b) the Holy Spirit.