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 Samuel 15:22 NIV “Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the LORD? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed better than the fat of rams.”
King Saul had a hard choice to make; destroy the Amalekites and everything that belonged to them or save the best they had to offer as the spoils of war. Unfortunately, King Saul chose to satisfy his lust instead of obeying God’s command. God instructed King Saul that the Amalekites and all they had be destroyed. Contrary to God’s instruction, King Saul decided to spare the life of King Agag and the best livestock and other beautiful items. Maybe King Saul thought he could do as he pleased and ask for forgiveness afterward. Has there ever been a time as a Christian when you have deliberately disobeyed God because you were counting on His grace and mercy to excuse you after the fact? Yes, God loves us, but He is also God of truth, judgment, and justice. In God’s eyes, obedience is better than sacrifice. The devil will always tempt you with things he knows you desire. He wants you to sin. He wants you out of the protection and shelter of God’s care. He wants you out of God’s plan for your life. Do not listen to him. Do not give Satan a seat at your table (Ephesians 4:27). Choose obedience not sacrifice!
PSALM 107:1 NKJV “Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.”
God has done so much for us that we should be full of gratitude to Him. Today is seems complaints are abundant, but thankfulness is few. Being thankful is not optional for a Christian (Colossians 3:15). So, why are Christians not thankful or grateful? Gratitude is a mark of maturity. Ingratitude is a mark of immaturity. Babies are never thankful. Proud people are never thankful. Why? Because their mindset is that they deserve not just everything they have, but even better and more. Their thinking is like”why be thankful for something less than what I deserve?” They have entitlement mentality. They are never happy. The cure for unhappiness is being thankful. In fact, the more thankful people are, the happier they are. To overcome your habit of ingratitude, you have to change your belief. As long as you believe you are getting less than you deserve, you will never become a thankful person. But if you realize that you deserved punishment and eternal separation from God, yet in His mercy God instead gave you eternal life, and that everything you have including every breath you breathe is a gift from God, then you will become a thankful person. You should be thankful for all God does for you, on a daily basis!
James 1:21 NKJV “Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.”
The Lord Jesus Christ, in the parable of the Sower (Matthew 13), described four responses to God’s Word. First there is the hard heart, which the seed on the roadside represented. The hard heart does not understand and receive the Word, and therefore does not produce any fruit. Next there is the shallow heart, which represents the seed that fell on ground filled with rocks. This describes those who are very emotional but have no depth in their lives. Thus, they bear no fruit. Thirdly, there is the crowded heart, represented by the seed that goes into the soil imbedded with thorns. This speaks of those who receive the Word initially, but they lack repentance and permit sin to choke out the Word of God. Lastly, there is the fruitful heart that receives the Word and allows it to bring forth fruit. You determine what kind of soil your heart will be. You determine whether you will have a hard heart, a shallow heart, a crowded heart, or a fruitful heart. You determine how the Word of God will affect your life. It is up to you. The Word of God cannot work in our lives unless we receive it with the right heart! It requires that “we lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness and receive God’s Word with meekness “. The Word of God (the truth) is your defense against falsehood and deception of Satan. The Word of God is the raw material you have, to produce victory in any area of your life!
Ephesians 4:27 “Neither give place to the devil.”
The Bible warns us explicitly to not give place to the devil in our lives. We are warned to be sober and vigilant, so we are not devoured by the devil (1 Peter 5:8). If you give the devil even one tiny place in your life, he will seize the opportunity to move in and take control. The devil is always seeking a way to get his foot in the door of our lives. He has no good intentions toward anyone, and he does not even love his own. The thief [the devil] cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy (John 10:10). Satan wants to shake each of us as hard as he can to knock us out of the body of Christ and to separate us from the vine, Christ Jesus; but we must never let him succeed. You have to be careful when you feel someone has hurt you because that is when it is easy for you to give place to the devil. Anger, bitterness, unforgiveness, revenge, rebellion, evil speaking, and despair are major avenues through which the devil can work his deceptions; so you have to get rid of them (Ephesians 4:31). When you get angry, keep it under control and get rid of it quickly, because if you let it stay, it will ruin you (Ephesians 4:26). Instead of letting hurt and anger get the best of you, you must forgive (Ephesians 4:32). You can resist the devil by being steadfast in the faith! Let those who think they stand take heed lest they fall (1 Corinthians 10:12).
1 Corinthians 6:12 NIV “I have the right to do anything,” you say—but not everything is beneficial. “I have the right to do anything”—but I will not be mastered by anything.”
Just because something is technically legal does not mean it is spiritually appropriate. If you are serious about spiritual growth, seize the opportunity to say no to yourself when faced with the tiniest temptation. Then one day you will be able to say no when it really matters. Daniel started by saying no to eating the king’s food, and later was able to say no to bowing to the king’s idols. Focus on the undisciplined areas of your life; the ones you keep excusing, rationalizing, and delaying dealing with. Paul measured his actions by this yardstick: “Is it beneficial? Does it have the potential to control me?” You have a “right” to eat a big bowl of ice cream every night. It is permissible, but it is not “beneficial” to your health, wellbeing, and physical fitness. You have a “right” to spend your money as you please, but do not complain when you end up broke or in a strangulating debt. You have a “right” to watch whatever you want on TV, iPhone, or the internet, but exposure to wrong influences will inevitably weaken your character, rob you of self-respect, and enslave you to sin. So next time you are tempted to fall into a bad habit, make a conscious effort to say no, especially if you are serious about your spiritual growth. You need to throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles you (Hebrews 12:1). Never forget: When it comes to replacing bad habits with good ones, the only person who can make that happen is you!
Philippians 4:4 NKJV “Rejoice in the Lord always. Again, I will say, rejoice!”
Life can be tough. Maybe you have been forsaken by your spouse. Or you are struggling with the death of a loved one. Or facing the constant pain of sickness. Or the loss of a job or business. Or maybe just the daily pressure of life. Whatever the circumstance you always have choices. You can choose how you respond. With God’s help, you do not have to let the problems of life defeat you. We all need the attitude of prophet Habakkuk when we face life challenges, as stated in Habakkuk 3:17-18. Even if everything seems to go wrong, you can rejoice in the Lord, for He is good, and His mercy endures forever (Psalm 107:1). There is no darkness so dark that Jesus cannot overcome. There is no situation that is hopeless. There is no problem too big for God to fix. When you face trouble in life, will you whine and complain, or will you rejoice in God? As you rejoice in the Lord, you will find strength to go on and face life. God will give you strength to overcome. Whatever your struggle is, look to God. Rejoice in Him. Do not let the devil steal your joy. We do not have to pretend all is well in the face of trials, but we can count it all joy (James 1:2) because God is with us. Rejoice in the Lord even when you face challenges!