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
ACTS 20:24 NKJ “But none of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.”
Every now and then, believers are tempted to give up on their faith in God whenever the least thing seems to go wrong in their lives. The Apostle Paul suffered many things: beatings, stoning, and shipwreck, yet he called them “light afflictions”, (2 Corinthians 4:8-9, 2 Corinthians 4:17). We are enlisted in God’s army, and we are in a battle to enforce the defeat of Satan and free men from his grip. The devil is against us. While we know our victory is sure, we should not expect to never face obstacles or difficulties (2 Timothy 2:3). Let us constantly remind ourselves that there is a life in heaven and a future world. We would be unwise to live as if this life is all there is. While we are on earth to occupy victoriously till Jesus comes, we should not forget eternity and focus only on the present. We must hold on to our faith in God, no matter how things seem to be going at the present. Because of our limited understanding, our ability to evaluate things accurately is limited. Our wonderful Lord Jesus can be trusted. He loved us enough to die in our stead, so we could go free. We must be determined not to be moved by things our enemy does to get us off our faith in God’s Word, for we walk by faith and not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7). We should not be moved by what we see. We should not be moved by what we feel. We should be moved only by what we believe. We believe the Word of God.
JAMES 5:13 NIV “Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray.”
The best thing anyone facing trouble (affliction, hardship, evil) can do is pray. Pour out your heart to God and discuss the situation with Him. We are tempted to do many other things: cry, complain, blame others for the situation, but Scripture says we should pray whenever we face problems. Pray for yourself by yourself. There is nothing wrong with having other people pray for you. But there is something wrong with expecting others to pray, while you never pray. Sometimes we have missed it, and that is why we are in trouble. Other times, we may face trouble just because we live in a fallen world. But whenever we are in trouble for whatever reason, we need to know God’s direction as to what to do. Pour out your soul to the Lord, but also wait in His presence with thanks and praise. Let your heart and mind get quiet. Let God’s peace overcome your turmoil and worry (Philippians 4:6). God tells us that if we will draw near to Him, He will draw near to us (James 4:8). This is why you should pray. You need God’s help. He has the power, wisdom and knowledge to get you out of the trouble you face. Never cease praying (1 Thessalonians 5:17). Be of good cheer (John 16:33).God is working, and the answer is coming. Both your eternal destiny and your present trials are in God’s hands!
Genesis 19:27 NKJV “And Abraham went early in the morning to the place where he had stood before the LORD.”
Abraham was known as “the Friend of God” (James 2:23). What a great honor! But we should not overlook the secret of his greatness. He started his day with God. The Bible confirms same pattern with our Lord Jesus, and also King David. Do you start your day with God? The way you get up in the morning sets the tone for your day. So, try this: First thing tomorrow, get alone with God for a few minutes and go over your plans for the day. As you are going over them, you will have some concerns. Just hand them over to Him (Matthew 11:28, 1 Peter 5:8). You may notice a particular problem you are worried about. Ask Him for wisdom. The Bible says He will give it to you gladly (James 1:5). If He does not give you an immediate answer, still trust Him. He has something in mind, something that you have not thought of yet. Many of us start our day anxious and rushed. But you do not have to. You are going to start your day anyway; why not start it with God? You are going to have a first thought anyhow, so why not let it belong to God before whom all our anxieties flee? When you are having a bad day, pause and ask yourself, “Did I start this day with God, or did I forget to include Him (Proverbs 3:5-6)?” Here are some Scriptures you need to consider: “In the morning…I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly” (Psalm 5:3 NIV). “Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days” (Psalm 90:14 NIV). “I rise before the dawning of the morning, And cry for help; I hope in Your word” (Psalm 119:147 NKJV).
Proverbs 1:10 NKJV “My son, if sinners entice you, do not consent.”
Temptation is an invitation to sin. It is not sin to be tempted, but it is sin to give into temptation. Temptation is a trial
designed by the tempter, the devil (Matthew 4:1-3) to present an opportunity to a person to do evil and commit sin, or to
not do evil and remain sinless. Temptation to do evil is not from God, but from the devil (James 1:13-15). Anyone of us
can be tempted. Jesus our Lord and Savior was tempted at all points and did not sin (Hebrews 4:15). In this day and age, a
lot of servants of God are falling victims to satanic temptations, destroying their ministries in the process. Apostle Paul
warned Christians, “take heed lest you fall” (1 Corinthians 10:12). Christians are devil’s prime target for temptation
because we switched camp. We were once in devil’s camp, but now in God’s camp, and the devil is not happy about that.
The good news is that God in Christ Jesus has given us authority to stand our ground and reject the devil’s temptation to
sin. We have the full armor of God (Ephesians 6:13) to stand against all of devil’s temptation, and to not take his bait! We
are in serious spiritual warfare and giving in to devil’s temptation could be fatal. Let us resist him steadfastly as we
become conscious of God’s presence at all times!
Matthew 4:4 NKJV “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.”
God’s word is the truth and has the power to make you free when you believe and act on it (John 8:32, James 1:22). There are things you must know and believe about God’s word (the Bible): It is life changing. In the parable of the Sower, Jesus said, “The seed is the word” (Luke 8:11). You may not understand the power within a seed, but you know that when you sow it in good soil, it will spring to life; it will not just sit there and do nothing, it will produce fruit. Likewise, your Bible is “the word of God, which also effectively works in you who believe” (1Thessalonians 2:13 NKJV). It works. “My word…will not return to me empty but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it” (Isaiah 55:11 NIV). Note the word “sent.” Every word God speaks is on a mission and is guaranteed to accomplish it in accordance with His will, His strategy, and His timing. It is creative. “By God’s word the heavens came into being and the earth was formed” (2Peter 3:5 NIV). God’s Word was powerful enough to create everything that exists. God did not strive or sweat, He just spoke, and it was accomplished. So, speak God’s Word! It is authoritative. “They were astonished at His teaching, for His word was with authority…they were all amazed…saying, ‘What a word this is! For with authority and power He commands the unclean spirits, and they come out” (Luke 4:32, 36 NKJV). The forces of darkness around you today must recognize and submit to God’s Word, so stand and act on it!
Ephesians 2:4 NKJV “But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us,”
The devil promotes the lie that God is mad at people and anxious to condemn them, but the Bible says that God is rich in mercy, to us. Remembering what happened in Nineveh’s case will give you a clearer picture of God’s abundant mercy. God told Jonah that Nineveh would be destroyed. But when the people of Nineveh repented before God, they received mercy. God changed His judgment, and their lives were spared (Jonah 1:2; Jonah 3:3-10). Whenever people repent and turn toward God, no matter how evil they have been, God shows mercy. God is still the same. He delights in mercy (Mica 7:18). Mercy means not getting what we deserve. It is defined as leniency and compassion shown toward offenders by a person or agency charged with administering justice. Several verses of the Bible proclaim that God’s mercy endures forever. We may look at people and think they do not deserve another chance. They may have blown it again and again and they may seem hopeless to us. But God looks at people differently. He looks at them through eyes of Love and sees their potential and as a result shows mercy. Yes, God is against sin. But it is because He loves us, and knows how harmful sin is. God is more merciful than we have realized. God has plenty of mercy. This is what we should learn from this word of encouragement: The mercy God has shown to us, let us show same mercy to others!