Our Sermons
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom;
A good understanding have all those who do His commandments.
His praise endures forever.
Psalm 111:10
1 THESSALONIANS 5:18 NLT “No matter what happens, always be thankful, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.”
Bad things happen in life sometimes. There are times we do not understand what is happening or why. But we can always be thankful for many things: God loves us. Jesus died for us. Our sins are forgiven. Jesus has promised to never leave us. God is our Father and He is faithful. We have an eternal home in Heaven. In Christ, we are more than conquerors. We are redeemed from the dominion of darkness. We have access to divine healing and prosperity. We are joint-heirs with Christ. What we choose to focus on determines our attitude. While we may face problems, we do not have to let those problems become our focus. We can choose to give thanks and praise God for His goodness and faithfulness. Imagine how wearisome that will make Satan and his cohorts feel! Also, think of the pleasure it brings our Father God when we stay in faith and focus on Him, instead of being distracted by the stuff the devil does trying to steal our faith and joy. If you are always thankful, the bad things that do happen to you will lose their ability to really harm you and to determine the trajectory of your life. Giving thanks also reminds us of how much we do have. Human beings are prone to covetousness. We tend to focus on what we do not have. By giving thanks continually we are reminded of how much we do have. When we focus on blessings rather than wants, we are happier. When we start thanking God for the things, we usually take for granted, our perspective changes. We realize that we could not even exist without the merciful blessings of God. So, be thankful always!
1 Timothy 4:12 “Don’t let anyone think less of you because you are young. Be an example to all believers in what you say, in the way you live, in your love, your faith, and your purity.”
Why is it that the Christians of the first century were able to do so much damage, in a positive sense, in such a relatively short period of time (Acts 17:6)? And how is it that these first-century believers, without the tools, technology, and media that we utilize today, were still able to radically impact their culture? The short answer is they followed and practiced a radical, non-compromising Christianity that is not known by many in the twenty-first century. When we read about Christianity in New Testament books like Acts, we might classify it as something that was radical, over the top, and perhaps a bit on the extreme side. But to them it would have been nothing less than normal Christian living. They were different. Christians should differ from non-Christians in every realm, not just the religious realm. We should differ from non-Christians not simply because we show up at church on the weekend or attend a midweek Bible study. Rather, we should differ from non-Christians because we conduct our businesses differently, we treat our spouses differently, and we raise our children differently. Our values should be different from those of non-Christians. People need to see this difference in our lives, but all too often, it simply is not happening. If we want to impact our world like the first-century believers did, then we have to get back to the principles they applied. It starts with the Christianity they practiced. Christianity based on the unconditional love of God, great faith, uncompromising word of God, and demonstration of the Spirit and power.
2 Peter 1:4 NKJ “by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.”
The Bible says we are partakers of divine nature and have escaped the corruption in the world through lust. There are promises in the Bible for us to partake of, but how do we see ourselves? Many of the Israelites could not enter into the Promised Land, because they saw themselves as grasshoppers (Numbers 13:33). The Bible says they “limited the Holy One of Israel” (Psalm 78:41). If you are truly going to experience God’s will for your life, you need to see yourself the way He sees you. You have to see yourself through the realty of the redemptive work of Christ. You have to have a full knowledge of who you have become in Christ Jesus through His sacrifice if you are to partake fully of the promises and benefits of redemption. You have to see yourself the way God sees you through the finished work of Christ. God saw Gideon as a mighty man of valor, but he saw himself differently (Judges 6:12-15). Many Christians are in this same situation today, forgetting that our sufficiency is in Christ. In Christ we have been delivered from power of sin and authority of darkness (Romans 6:14, Ephesians 1:17, Colossians 1:13-14, Galatians 3:13, Hebrews 2:14-15). We are saints (1 Corinthians 1:30, 2 Corinthians 5:21). We are blessed in Christ (Ephesians 1:3). We are seated with Christ in highest place of power (Ephesians 1:19-23, Ephesians 2:6). The greater one lives in us (1 John 4:4). We have access to abundant life (John 10:10). We are joint-heirs with Christ (Romans 8:17). See yourself as God’s sees you!
ROMANS 5:8 NKJ “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
Too often we go through life wandering from person to person, possession to possession, and success to success, trying to find the love we long to experience. But God has proven His love for you. So, believe it. God died in your place suffering the punishment for sin that you deserved, so you could go free. God was more willing to suffer Himself than to see you suffer (1 John 4:9-10). Of course, the devil constantly tries to get you to doubt that God loves you. That is why you must rely on what the Bible says and not what your feelings or circumstances may tell you. You do not desire pain or loss.
So, it is with God. He desires good for you even more than you do. And He demonstrated at Calvary that He would put your interest before His own. There are at least two reasons why God loves you so much. First, it is His nature to love. The Bible says that God is love (1 John 4:8). Love is the word that best describes God’s nature. Second, you are God’s creation. God loves you just as good natural parents love their offspring. People may not seem very special to others, but to their mother and father they are always special. This should help you understand how God could really love you even though you may not love yourself that much. Also, God sees you as you can be and will become not just as you are now. God has faith in you and in His ability to make you someone special. You should choose to believe what the Bible says: God loves you and He cares about you! 1 Peter 5:7 AMP “Casting the whole of your care — all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all — on Him; for He cares for you affectionately, and cares about you watchfully.” God fully loves you. Believe it.
Mark 11:24 NLT “You can pray for anything, and if you believe…it will be yours.”
The Bible says, “Without faith it is impossible to please God” (Hebrews 11:6 NIV). God’s greatest desire is to be believed. You can pray regularly and ritually, and even feel closer to God as a result, yet not expect Him to answer your prayers or for your situation to change. Peter had been put in prison and sentenced to death, and his execution was scheduled for a specified day. So, the church gathered to pray earnestly and fervently for his release (Acts 12:5 NIV). And God answered their prayers miraculously. God put the guards to sleep, opened Peter’s prison door, and set him free (Acts 12:7-10). Yet when he appeared on the doorstep of the house where the believers were praying, they could not believe it: “A servant girl…told everyone, ‘Peter is standing at the door!’ ‘You’re out of your mind!’ they said. When she insisted, they decided, ‘It must be his angel’” (Acts 12:13-15). Even the early disciples struggled to believe God would hear them when they prayed and bring their expectation to pass. Even when the answer knocked on their door, they still hesitated. And we do too, don’t we? We struggle with prayer. We forget to pray, and when we remember, we rush through prayers with insincere words. Why does this happen? You can pray anywhere, at any time, using your own words, and God promises to answer. So, what’s the problem? We need to realize the incredible power and potential of one praying believer (James 5:16-17): “Our weapons have power from God that can destroy the enemy’s strong places” (2Corinthians 10:4 NCV). So don’t just pray; believe God for the answer and expect it. Then talk and act like you believe and expectant!
Romans 12:2, AMP “Do not be conformed to this world (this age), [fashioned after and adapted to its external, superficial customs], but be transformed (changed) by the [entire] renewal of your mind…”
The primary purpose of the Word of God, the Bible, is to change the way we think about ourselves, about others, about issues of life, and about God. The reason why many people today are not happy, the reason they are not enjoying life is simply because they have trained their minds to think and dwell on the wrong things. They have trained their minds to worry, to be anxious, and to be fearful. They have trained their minds to complain. They have trained their minds to blame others for their mistakes and situations. They have trained their minds to see the negative in everything. They have not trained their minds to see things from God’s perspective. The truth is that just as we can form these negative mindsets, we can retrain our minds and form positive mindsets. This transformation can happen as we renew our minds to the Word of God and develop positive attitudes. This does not happen instantly. You have to make a conscious effort every single day until a good habit is formed. I encourage you today to choose to live a life of a positive attitude of faith, gratitude, praise, thanksgiving, forgiveness, love, joy, self-control, long suffering, contentment, gentleness, obedience, and humility, based on the solid foundation of God’s Word.