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
We all will experience storms at some points in our lives. That is why, when we hear the Word of God, we need to listen as though our lives depend on it because they do. Our Lord Jesus Christ, in one of His teachings said, “Whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock” (Matthew 7:24–25 NKJV). In contrast to the wise man who builds his house on the rock, Jesus made this statement about the man who does not build his house on the rock: “Everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall” (Matthew 7:26–27 NKJV). We are in a spiritual battle, and we fight a spiritual battle with spiritual weapons. Ephesians 6:17 tells us that the sword of the Spirit is the Word of God. So, when the Devil comes with a temptation, we need to respond with the sword of the Spirit. Or when the Devil whispers in your ear any word or idea contrary to the will of God for your life, you need to respond with the sword of the Spirit (the Word of God). Memorize the Word of God. Use the Word of God. It will help you in times of temptation and in times of trial. As the psalmist wrote, “Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You” (Psalm 119:11 NKJV). Know the Word of God and use it to protect yourself against the storms of life!
Psalm 1:2 NKJ “But his delight is in the law of the Lord, And in His law, he meditates day and night.“
We make numerous choices every day, from what is simple to what is complex and life changing. One choice we make every day is whether to start the day with the Word of God or with social media or something else. Are we going to start the day with prayer, or are we going to start it with worry (Philippians 4:6)? Are we going to make time in our schedules to meet with other believers or make other activities a priority instead? The Bible tells us, “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful; but his delight is in the law of the Lord, and in His law, he meditates day and night” (Psalm 1:1–2 NKJ). The words “blessed” and “happy” are interchangeable. Basically, the Bible is saying that if we want to be happy, there are some things that we should not do, and there are other things that we should do instead. Do not walk in ungodly counsel, Psalm 1 tells us, and instead walk in godly counsel. In other words, meditate on (or think about or ponder) the Word of God. This is not referring to the meditation of Eastern mysticism. Rather, to meditate on the Word of God means to ponder or contemplate what the Bible has to say. God instructed Joshua to meditate on the book of the law day and night for prosperity and good success (Joshua 1:8). What you need this year is not resolution but solution, which comes by a closer walk with God through His word. You make your choices, and your choices make you!
Numbers 23:19 NKJ “God is not a man, that He should lie, Nor a son of man, that He should repent.
Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?”
What we belief shapes our destiny. What do you believe? What God says about you, what you say about yourself, or what people say about you? Without doubt it is safer to believe God and not man. Man is shifty. The same mouth man uses to praise you is the same mouth man will use to crucify you. Man cannot always be trusted but God can be trusted. Psalm 118:8 says “It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in man.” God does not change His opinion about you. He loves you with everlasting love (Jeremiah 31:3). God loves you completely and irrevocably. He always has and He always will. Man cannot be sustained by man but only by God his maker. God is your healer, and provider. He has your future in His hands. He has engraved you upon the palms of His hands (Isaiah 49:16). He will never leave you nor forsake you (Hebrews 13:5). God is your rock, your fortress, your strength, your buckler, the horn of your salvation, and your high tower (Psalm 18:2). Believe what God says about you and act on it. It is safer to believe Him!
It sounds incredible that a beautiful little baby, born in a manger in Bethlehem, was God Almighty. Jesus was fully God and fully man. God came to this earth and walked among us. Jesus became one of us without ceasing to be Himself. He became human without ceasing to be God. And Isaiah 9:6 tells us that He is the Mighty God. He has all the power that you need to take care of the demands of life. Whatever you are facing, whatever challenge or difficulty you are going through, the Almighty God has taken residence in your heart if you have given your life to Jesus Christ. In addition, Isaiah calls him Everlasting Father. This brings hope and encouragement to those who grew up without a father or who maybe had a harsh, abusive father. We have a Father in Heaven who loves us. Because Jesus died on the cross and rose from the dead, we can now call God our Father if we have put our faith in Jesus Christ. Not only is God our Father, but He is our Everlasting Father. That means He is not only our Father on Earth, but He also will receive us into Heaven one day. All these started with the birth of Jesus Christ, God with us (Emmanuel)!
JOHN 6:37 LB “But some will come to me–those the Father has given me– and I will never, never reject them.”
People may reject you. But Jesus will not. Jesus died for sinners. He loves them and will help them, if only they will come to Him. Jesus did not come to condemn us, but to help us. The truth is, when your self-worth is based on any opinion other than God’s, you will always be vulnerable to rejection. Think of the Bible account of the woman caught in adultery. JOHN 8:11 NIV “No one, sir,” she said. “Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life free from sin.” Religious people will reject you for any number of reasons. The length of your hair, the food you eat, or the clothes you wear are only examples of reasons they may reject you. But Jesus is different. He will accept you just as you are. Overcoming rejection starts with understanding and accepting how much God loves and values us (1 John 3:1). Many people think they need to clean up their life and get their act together before coming to Jesus. But they have it backwards. They should come to Jesus now and let Him “clean them up.” If we could make ourselves perfect, we would not need a Savior. Think about that!
Psalm 55:22 NIV “Cast your cares on the Lord.”
The prevailing conditions in the world today coupled with unfulfilled expectations as the year is endiung, can cause us stress and anxiety. When we are stressed, the surge of negative emotions can be overwhelming. And if we do not unburden our emotions before God, it is easy to make wrong decisions, succumb to wrong impulses, move in the wrong direction, and get angry at the wrong people. The Psalmist addresses this: “Cast your cares on the Lord and He will sustain you.” 1 Peter 5:7 NIV says “Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.” The extent to which you consciously lean on God, drawing strength from Him, is the extent to which you will lower your anxiety level. It is no coincidence that many of the Psalms start with David crying out to God for help and end with him rejoicing because he vented his frustrations to the right person, God! Understand the fact that life is 10 percent what happens to you and 90 percent how you respond to it. Your job, your finances, your marriage, your children, your health, and your future are all sources of anxiety, so you will never be totally free from the temptation to worry. But you can lower your anxiety level by following Paul’s instruction (Philippians 4:6 NIV) “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” The more you pray, the less you will panic. The more you worship, the less you worry. Worry about nothing but pray about everything!