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
JAMES 4:7 NKJ “Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.”
The Greek word for resist literally means to stand against. It means to withstand and oppose. The English word resist means to stand against; to strive against; to obstruct; to act in opposition to; to exert oneself so as to counteract or defeat; to refuse to give in. The opposite of resist is to agree with and to yield. This scripture is written to believers. It does not say the devil will flee from you whether you resist him, or not. Rather, you must actively resist the devil if you do not want his plan to steal, to kill, and to destroy, in your life. We are to yield to God in all things but yield to the devil in nothing. God and the devil do not come to us in person. Rather they come to us through thoughts which originate from either God or the devil. We choose which one we yield to and which one we resist by how we respond to the thoughts and ideas that come our way. We yield to God by making His word the final authority in our lives. We resist the devil by refusing to think, speak, or act in accordance with his suggestions and ideas. We choose rather to think, speak, and act in line with God’s Word, the Bible. Refusing to accept less than the perfect will of God is resisting the devil. Standing against sin, sickness, poverty, and fear is resisting the devil’s agenda. Walking in the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23), is resisting the devil. Spending time in prayer and fellowship with God is resisting the devil. Being thankful is resisting the devil. Praising God and talking of His goodness and faithfulness is resisting the devil. The devil cannot overcome you if you continue to resist him, in faith (Ephesians 6:16, 1 Peter 5:8-9).
Joshua 1:9 NKJ “Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”
Joshua had an enormous assignment after that Moses died. The children of Israel had wandered in the wilderness for 40 years and Joshua now had the responsibility to lead them into the Promised Land. He would have to claim the land from its current inhabitants, fight and lead battles, and provide spiritual leadership for a large group of stiff-neck people. As he was feeling the overwhelming weight of the assignment before him, the Lord offered the words of encouragement in Joshua 1:9. These encouraging words can apply to all of us as we seek to overcome our own unique challenges and assignments in life. Being strong and of a good courage means trusting in the Lord as our true source of strength, as we confront our fears. Like Joshua, we hardly ever have all the answers to our personal challenges. But God promises that when we turn to Him for guidance, we will succeed. God is all-powerful and all-knowing. He has the answers and the strength we need to face any challenge before us. He was with Joshua, and He will be with us. May be you have an assignment from God to take charge of responsibilities in His kingdom and you are afraid. Be strong. Be courageous. Do not be frightened. Do not be dismayed. The reason that you can be strong and be courageous and not fear and not be dismayed is that the Lord is going to be with you wherever you go. The end, the goal, the outcome of this command when we live in the strength that God supplies and are free from fear and full of courage in our assignment, it is that God gets the glory!
Hebrews 4:16 NKJ “Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”
Let me ask you: When you are wrestling over a tough decision, whom do you consult? When things start going in the wrong direction at work, where do you turn? When the kids are driving you crazy, the bills pour in, the relationship starts to sour, or the medical test comes back positive, what do you do? A lot of us seek counsel from a friend. Many will consult the wisdom of the world. Brethren, there is nothing wrong with any of those options. But allow me to share with you the first thing you should do. Whatever your question, your pain, or your challenge, take it to God in prayer. The phrase “O what peace we often forfeit, O what needless pain we bear”, is from a hymn. That hymn encourages us to take all our worries and anxieties to God in prayers; as we often bear needless pain when we neglect to turn over troubles, fears, and worries to God, who holds our future in His hands. Prayer is not about formulas, rituals, impressive words, or flowing oratory; prayer is about touching the heart of the Father! Hebrews 4:16 is meant to describe our prayer life: drawing near to God’s throne of grace, boldly, to receive mercy, find grace, and help in time of need. Do not be afraid to talk to the Lord Jesus (your High Priest) about anything. Not only does He understand, but He knows how to help you so you can overcome and have victory. Remember, Jesus loves you enough to die for you. And He also ever lives to intercede for you. So Jesus not only understands what you face, but He is able and willing to help you.
PROVERBS 9:10 NKJ 10 “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, “
The fear of God is being eroded in the World today and sadly too in the church, and with it comes chaos, ungodliness, wars, and disregard for sanctity of human life. When the Bible refers to the “fear of the Lord,” it means having a deep respect, reverence and awe for God’s power and authority. Rather than causing someone to be afraid of God, a proper “fear of the Lord” leads one to love, to respect, and to honor Him. It is usually referring to an attitude of reverence and respect, not outright terror. The fear of God drives away the fear of everything else (Matthew 10:28), and conquers the tormenting fear from Satan. ISAIAH 8:13 NLT “Do not fear anything except the LORD Almighty. He alone is the Holy One. If you fear him, you need fear nothing else.” We fear God first not because of anything He can do to us but just because of who He is: a loving Father. Yet, God is all-knowing and powerful beyond our imagination, so we should not think we can rebel against God and get away with it, either. God’s way is perfect (Psalm 18:30), so when we disrespect God’s wisdom and go another way, we are destined to fail. The fear of the Lord is beneficial to us: Proverbs 14:27 “The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life, to depart from the snares of death.” Proverbs 19:23 “The fear of the LORD tendeth to life: and he that hath it shall abide satisfied; he shall not be visited with evil.” Psalm 25:14 “The secret of the LORD is with them that fear him; and he will shew them his covenant.” Anyone who does not fear God is headed to destruction. Fear the Lord!
Proverbs 18:10 NLT “The name of the Lord is a strong fortress; the godly run to him and are safe.”
It seems like we are living in a world that is out of control, doesn’t it? Every time we turn on the news or check the headlines, we see another crisis, hear about another controversy, or read about another tragedy. As believers, regardless of the terrible circumstances in our world, we are not without hope. God has laid out a plan of protection for us. There is something important we must do: we should expect God’s protection, and thank Him for it. However, we must remember that we receive from God only by faith. So if we do not believe God will protect us, we are, in effect, hindering God’s protection. So we need to feed our faith on the promises in the Bible concerning God’s protection for His people. In Isaiah 54:17 the Bible says “No weapon that has been made to be used against you will succeed.” Luke 10:19 declares “Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.” Psalm 34:7 NIV: “The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him, And rescues them.” 2 Thessalonians 3:3 NIV “But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one.” Then we also need to express our faith in thanks to God every day for His protection. The ninety-first Psalm can help us do this. I recommend you make it personal and speak it often. God can protect us, whenever, wherever, and in whatever situation!
Philippians 3:13 “…. forgetting those things which are behind ……”
Everyone has a past. But not everyone is living in victory over their past. The greatest hold of the past over our lives is guilt, condemnation and unforgiveness. I believe the cure is to repent, forgive ourselves, forgive others and move in the new life that Jesus has provided. The Sacrifice of Jesus Christ has made provision for a break from our past and made a way for a new life. “Therefore, if any person is [ingrafted] in Christ (the Messiah) he is a new creation (a new creature altogether); the old [previous moral and spiritual condition] has passed away. Behold the fresh and new has come!” (2Corinthians 5:17 AMP). The moment you are born again, the past no longer has any power over you, except the power you give to it. You can break the cycle of dominion of the past over your life. God does not consult your past in order to determine your future. Our past was buried with Christ and His resurrection brought newness of life (Galatians 2:20). The whole purpose of redemption is to free us from our past. As long as we hold on to the past, we will be wandering in the wilderness; not able to get to the promise land. Jesus Christ wants you to break the power of your past, today.