HE LOVES YOU

            The Christian faith does not consist in the belief that we are saved, but in the belief that we are loved. -Vinet

John 3:16, For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

            I have a tract on my end table that is titled, “Somebody loves you”.  It identifies six characteristics of God’s love toward you and I; His love for you is; unending, unselfish, undeserved, unimaginable, undying, and unmerited. WOW! Those six characteristics of God’s love toward us is overwhelming!  

            Friend, if no ones has ever told you let me be the first, God loves you! Let that sink in this morning. God, the creator of the universe, loves you!

I MESSED UP

            No, we didn’t “mess up”, we committed sin against God.

Romans 3:12, They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.

            No one really likes to hear we committed sin. We would much rather cover it up with “nicer” words that don’t cut as deep. We like to say things like, “I had an affair”, “I made a poor choice”, “I am just sowing my wild oats”, to name a few. It sugar-coats the sin that we committed, the sin of adultery, the sin of disobedience, the sin of fornication, or other grievous sins.

            Some have committed sin and even after being corrected by the Lord, they do some stupid sin again. For example, I think of Peter. He was told that he would reject knowing the Lord three times before morning. The Bible goes on to say that Peter did just what Jesus said he was going to do, that very night. In one of his zealous acts, when the crowd had come to take Jesus away, Peter cut off Malchus’ ear but Jesus rebuked him. (John 18:11) Peter had a streak of rebellion and miss-placed zeal, but where do we find Peter just a few days later? In Acts chapter 1, we see Peter taking the lead. We see Peter standing up and saying, “Men and brethren, this scripture must needs have been fulfilled, which the Holy Ghost by the mouth of David spake before concerning Judas, which was guide to them that took Jesus.”

             Friend, you may have committed some grievous sin against the Lord. Confess it. Make it right with God and those you may have wronged. You will not live the blessed life God desires for you to have until you do.

SINNER, SAVED BY GRACE

You’ll never become anything different until you see yourself for who you are.

1 Corinthians 15:10, But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.

           People will lie to you so they don’t hurt your feelings. Mirrors will lie to you because they don’t show the whole picture. Some doctors will lie to you to keep you coming back. A husband will tell a “white” lie to keep from getting into trouble. What am I talking about—weight. The one thing I know for sure that will tell you the truth about it is a picture. A picture reveals the real deal! It shows you all the blemishes, bulges, curves, the screaming buttons, and the stretches in your clothes. It’s good to see who we are and what we have become. It is then we can do something about it.

            The greatest area of our life we need to look at is our standing before a thrice holy God. We need to see who we are in relation to Jesus. As we look into His Word, we see the whole picture of who we are. We are sinners in need of a Saviour. Jesus being the only one that could save us, willingly gave His life to do so. So, what does one do to be saved? We trust in the finished work of Jesus on the Cross. We trust He was buried and on the third day He arose from the grave conquering death, hell, and the grave. In doing so He gives us life and life more abundant!

            Paul said, “But by the grace of God I am what I am.” What are you this morning? Do you know Him as your personal Saviour? Are you a Sinner saved by grace? Or are you just a sinner?

THERE’S HELP AT THE EMPTY TOMB

            Because of the empty tomb; we have The Source of Help!

1 Peter 1:3 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead”

            The fear that came over the women when they got to the Tomb of Jesus that morning must have been overwhelming. It was dark. The earth did quake. The stone was rolled away. An empty tomb. Jesus’ body was gone. Where did they take Him? In all of the panic and turmoil, God sent an angel to bring peace. His message to them, “Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified.”

            The fear of this virus has taken over much of the world. To some, it has caused great panic and is paralyzing to the extent they cannot function in their family much less modern society. Some hide behind the screen of a computer or other mobile device, finding security in isolation. Some will not carry on a conversation with other human beings for fear of becoming infected. But friend, you don’t have to be one of those folks! You don’t have to be bound up in the spirit of fear! I am glad to tell you there is help at the empty tomb! Jesus came to set the captive free! He came to give life and give it more abundant! He came to give the spirit of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

On this resurrection morning, find help at the empty tomb by trusting in Christ as Lord and Saviour!

WHEN ALL SEEMS SILENT

            When you don’t see His hand, trust His Word.

Luke 23:46, And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost.

            On the Saturday before the disciples returned to the grave of our Saviour, I wonder what was going through the people’s minds; the darkness that had occurred over the land, the veil that had been split. Jesus had given up the ghost. Now what? What were the disciples to do?

            I would imagine in those hours they felt hopeless. In their eyes, Jesus, their Saviour, was dead. In just a few hours, everything they had placed their hope in was now lost. But why? Did they not listen to Jesus when He told them what would happen? Did they not believe His Words when He said, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” If they would’ve believed His Word, they would have been expecting something different when they went to the tomb!

            I understand we are living in some troublesome days. The church can’t worship together as before. There is greed like never before. There is disease abundant. There is wickedness on every hand; but friend, it hasn’t surprised the Lord. He has said this sin-sick world would wax worse and worse. So, don’t fear! Don’t fret! Don’t sweat it! Don’t worry!

            Get into the Word! Reading, believing, and applying it to our hearts, so none of this mess will worry us. Be expecting God to do something miraculous during these days as He has done in days gone by! Friend, when it seems as if God is silent, get your eyes off the world and get them back in His Word. He is speaking, will you listen?

HE GAVE HIS ALL

 The sacrifice of Jesus is the true reason of our salvation. -Spurgeon

Matthew 27:50, Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost.

Because He loved me, my Saviour died, on the cross was crucified

No greater love for mortal man has ever been known.

Oh praise His dear name, He loved me so, now I am His, He's mine, I know

He suffered it all, (He suffered it all)

Because He loved me. (Because He loved me.)

He gave His all, because He loved me and because He loved you!

Don’t ever forget it! Don’t ever take it for granted! Like a great investment, like a great seafood restaurant, don’t you want to share the greatest thing that has ever happened to you? Don’t you want to share with others how Jesus gave His all to save you? He gave His all, let’s give Him ours!

Doctrine Matters

 Knowing what you believe is good, knowing why you believe it is better.

2 Timothy 3:16-17, All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.

            Recently, we had an issue with a boiler at work. We trouble shot it for a while because we had a general knowledge of the system. After a bit, we starting looking for the wiring schematic on the unit. We flipped over this cover, nothing. We flipped over another cover, nothing. We finally gave up and we turned to Google. After finding the wiring schematic, we were able to trace out the flow of electricity and we found the issue.

            Friend, you may have a general knowledge of Christianity. You may be doing enough to “get by”. But when the howling winds of this world get to blowing on your life, will you be able to stand? Will you be driven away from church? Will you hold on to sound doctrine, so that your Saviour’s face may be seen through your testimony? It will only be done if you know why you believe what you believe! So, get in the Word, digging deep, so you may grow, grow, grow. Because doctrine matters and Google can’t help in somethings!  

REDEEMED HOW I LOVE TO PROCLAIM IT

Christ’s death paid my sin debt on the Cross. —Gary Spaeth

Romans 3:24, Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:

            Every once and a while, prior to this pandemic, we would go out to eat lunch together at work. We would walk in, survey the menu, and place an order. We would grub on whatever we ordered and when it was time to pay the bill, it would be paid for. Our boss pays every now and then to show an appreciation for the work we do. It sure is a good feeling to know you are appreciated and I don’t mind telling you how good the boss is.    

            Once, God sent His Son to redeem man’s sin sick soul. It wasn’t something He had to do but because He loved us He sent His Son to die once for all sin! He did it once and in His own Words He said, “It is Finished”. I don’t find it hard to share what He did for me that day. If you are thankful that He redeemed you, you won’t have a problem proclaiming it as well! Do you love to tell the old story of Jesus and His Love?  

WHAT’S ALL THE COMPLAINING ABOUT?

            Constant complaint is the poorest sort of pay for all the comforts we enjoy. -Franklin

Proverbs 27:20, Hell and destruction are never full; so the eyes of man are never satisfied.

            What good does it do when we constantly complain about the things we cannot change? Why do we constantly complain about current events when we haven’t done anything to change the situation? Why do we complain when we could pray? Prayer changes things! Prayer changes you and I! Prayer is what is needed during these days. So, why not invest some time in your prayer closet, beside your old rock altar, getting alone with the One who can change the things you are going through today! Stop complaining and get to communing with the Lord!

BOY I’M TIRED

            The church is a workshop, not a dormitory; and every Christian man and woman is bound to help in the common cause. -MacLaren

Galatians 6:9, And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.

            So often in doing what the Lord has called us to do we get overwhelmed and have to take a break. We have to, “Come a part before we come apart.” Taking this break for a short period of time can give us the strength to get us through to the other side of the mountain in front of us. It may be a day at the beach, a walk in the park, or just a night on the town with friends.

            Yes, I’m tired this Monday morning. The toil of Sunday without regular church services are taxing on this old boy! However, we may never know who we will impact with the glorious Gospel of Jesus Christ when we remain faithful to what He has called us to! So, Keep On, Keeping On friend! It’ll be worth it all when we see Jesus!

Making Our Way the Bible Way

            I believe a man may be as vile as hell itself one moment and be saved the next. - D.L. Moody

Luke 23:43, And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, To day shalt thou be with me in paradise.

            Two thieves on their crosses and Jesus on one in the middle of them. One thief was blasphemous; mocking and insulting Jesus saying, “If thou be Christ, save thyself and us.” The other thief had heard about Jesus. He had now seen Jesus. Then He rebuked the other thief and trusted Jesus as Saviour. He said, “Lord, remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom.”

            Have you had the privilege of hearing about Jesus? Have you seen Jesus for Who He is and what He has done for fallen man? Have you trusted Jesus as your Saviour? If not, why not? There is nothing stopping you but YOU! Make your way the Bible way! Romans 10:9 says, “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.”

            Do me a favor, if you want to know more about what Jesus has done for you, please GET UP, GET READY, and WATCH OUR CHURCH SERVICE ONLINE TODAY. Don’t put it off. We are not guaranteed tomorrow. We are not guaranteed this evening. We are not guaranteed our next breath! So, make it a priority to know what He has done and what you can do about it before it’s too late. www.facebook.com/CalvaryBaptistofNorthLeniorCounty

FRIENDS MAKE IT BETTER

            No distance of place or lapse of time can lessen the friendship of those who are thoroughly persuaded of each other's worth. -Anonymous

Proverbs 18:24, A man that hath friends must shew himself friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother.

            I have friends 10 minutes away. I have friends 2 hours away. I have friends 32 hours away. I have one friend that lives in Palmer, Alaska that is 73 hours away. I have friends around the world, some I have never met. Why do I have so many friends? It’s not because I am such a likable guy. It’s not because I am rich (financially). It’s not because of my connections in this world. I believe it’s because of the connection and how rich I am in the Lord.

            Friend, we are rich in Jesus! He is the One who has showed us the Way through the wilderness. He has showed us the Way of salvation. He has showed us the peace that passes all understanding. He has given us joy unspeakable. He gave, has given, and will continue to give of Himself to make things better in our lives. Jesus is what a true friend is. He has showed us what a true friend is by laying His life down for you and I! Will you do that for your friends, offering them a hand up?

Show Some Love

            You will find as you look back on your life that the moments that stand out above everything else are the moments when you have done things in a spirit of love. --Henry Drummond

Luke 23:34, “… Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.”

            During His hours on the cross, even though Jesus had been beaten beyond recognition, mocked, and ridiculed, He reached out to those around Him in love. He spoke to His mother with compassion. He spoke to one of the thieves with the promise of heaven. He cried out to the Father to forgive those who lied, putting Him on the Cross.

            What we can learn of this spotlight of Jesus on the Cross… Even in our dark hours we can show love to those around us. Whether they be our foes or our friends. It may be hard for us but I am reminded what Philippians 4:13 says, I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. So, show some love on this Friday!

AN OBEDIENT LIFE OF A CHRISTIAN

            A Sunday School teacher once asked her class 'How is the will of God done in heaven?' One child answered, 'Cheerfully.'  Another, 'By everybody.'  A third 'All the time.'  But the best answer was, 'It is done without asking any questions.'" -D.L. Moody

Proverbs 6:20-23, My son, keep thy father's commandment, and forsake not the law of thy mother: Bind them continually upon thine heart, and tie them about thy neck. When thou goest, it shall lead thee; when thou sleepest, it shall keep thee; and when thou awakest, it shall talk with thee. For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; and reproofs of instruction are the way of life: To keep thee from the evil woman, from the flattery of the tongue of a strange woman.

`           There are benefits of following Jesus. We don’t follow and obey for the benefits, we follow and obey the Word because we love Him. However, an obedient Christian will be following His Word recognizing the authority and being accountable to its commands. An obedient Christian will be following His Word, taking advantage of the benefits it produces such as being able to avoid adversity.

            Are you a hearer only? Do you tune into the online services listening to the Christ honoring music and Christ centered preaching? Do you ever do anything with what you have heard? Do you ever open a conversation with someone only to share Christ? That is what we are to be doing church. We are to be obedient to the Word; building bridges in order to see that family member, that co-worker, that drunk on the street come to know Jesus as Saviour. It is in our obedience that we show we truly love Him!

LESSER OF TWO EVILS

            When you choose the lesser of two evils, always remember that it is still an evil. -Max Lerner

Psalm 97:10, Ye that love the LORD, hate evil: he preserveth the souls of his saints; he delivereth them out of the hand of the wicked.

            I recently heard this saying, “Remember when you cast a vote, you’re voting for the lesser of the two evils because Jesus isn’t on the ballot.” While I understand the mentality of the comment, I really don’t like to look at my vote as to the “lesser of two evils”. I like to think of it as I voted for the one who doesn’t want to kill babies. Or I voted for the one who will uphold Biblical marriage. I also like to think I voted for the one who is a constitutional conservative.

            Will you vote for the “lesser of two evils” or will you vote for the one who upholds basic Biblical principles?

THE HOUR IS COME

            Whatever God gives you to do, do it as well as you can. This is the best possible preparation for what he may want you to do next. -Macdonald

John 12:23, And Jesus answered them, saying, The hour is come, that the Son of man should be glorified.

            Yes, these are some troublesome times we are living in. Abortion is okay. Homosexuality is widely accepted. Unforgiving hearts, fornication, disobedience, and the lists goes on and on. It’s like a live version of God’s Word is playing out right before our eyes!

            You know what that means? It means we should uplift the name of Jesus even higher than we did last year, last week, even higher than we lifted the name of Jesus yesterday! The hour is come that every Child of God needs to let the Light of the Gospel shine brighter than ever before! The hour is come that we should glorify Jesus so that many will repent and trust Him as Saviour before it is too late!

THE NEED IS GREAT

            When a man turns to God desiring to serve Him, God directs his attention to the world and its need. -Brunner

Romans 12:1, I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

            Right now, in our world there is a huge need of people who work in the medical and first responder fields. We are in need of doctors, nurses, nursing assistants, emergency medical technicians, military, firemen, policemen, and more. Obviously, this is due to the virus that has infected our world. By God’s grace, these servants will get the help to those in need. If we listen and apply the advice of those in the medical field, we will be back to normal daily routines in no time.

            There is another need in our world today. This need is more important than the temporal needs of people taking care of our physical lives now. This need is for people willing to serve the Lord in getting the Good News of the Gospel out. The infection of sin is leading souls straight to Hell. Sin is more deadly than the corona-virus. Sin is more deadly than the flu. Sin has ruined more lives than any virus. While a virus may take our life here on earth, sin will take our souls to Hell—forever.

            Are you prepared to share the Good News today? Have you asked the Lord for opportunities to serve Him? There is a great need, you are the tool in which God has chosen to use to get the Cure out to the world! You are the tool God uses to share Jesus with a lost, dying, and hurting world! Will you go? Will you tell?

PRAYER MAKES THE DIFFERENCE

            If Christians spent as much time praying as they do grumbling, they would soon have nothing to grumble about. -Anonymous

Luke 22:31-32a, And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not:

            Not only does the praying make the difference but who is doing the praying does as well. I love it when I get a text message from a church member or friend telling me they are praying for the church, me, or my family. It gives me a shot in my arm. It’s like an adrenaline rush! But for some reason, when I get a text or phone call from one of the senior saints or an old salty preacher, glory comes down and fills my soul with joy! Out of all the things they could be doing, out of all the people they could be praying for, they are praying for me, my family, or my church! It is a very humbling feeling!

            But have you ever come to realize that Jesus prays for us? While Satan desires to sift us, Jesus desires to lift us! He prays for us that our faith will not fail! During trials, He’s praying. During temptations, He’s praying. During troublesome times, He’s praying. That should not only be a shot in the arm or fill our hearts with joy, it should cause us to GET UP, GET READY, and GO, TUNE IN, or DRIVE UP TO CHURCH this morning! Because prayer makes the difference!

JESUS FORGIVES AND ONLY JESUS SAVES

            Jesus is the only One who can forgive sin and save sinners.

Luke 23:34, Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots.

            It’s not in an emotional experience that one gets saved. It’s not on an epoch journey that one gets saved. It’s not in a confession closet that one gets forgiveness of sin. It’s not by giving to the church, working for the church, or by works of righteousness that a man’s wretched soul is forgiven of sin.

            Forgiveness of sin and salvation only comes by One name and that name is Jesus. Jesus said in John 14:6, Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. Luke said in Acts 4:12, Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. John writes in 1 John 1:9, If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

            Are you attempting to work your way to Heaven? Have you exhausted all your strength into hoping you’ve done enough? Friend, STOP! Jesus will forgive and save you if you repent of your sins and trust Him as Saviour. Don’t delay—do it today! For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. Romans 10:13

JESUS IS GOD

            Jesus is not humanity deified. He is not Godhead humanized. He is God. He is man. He is all that God is, and all that man is as God created him. -Spurgeon

John 1:1, In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

John 1:14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

            One cannot exhaust all of what Scripture has to say about Jesus’s deity. We can discuss this point of view or that point, but to fully comprehend the deity of Jesus, I believe, is impossible. I cannot grasp my little pea brain around Who He is and why He would even remotely begin to think of us sinners. I assure you there is nothing within us that would prompt God to send His Son to die for our sin.

            However, because Jesus is God, the very love of God manifested in the flesh, He came seeking us! Well glory; I don’t know about you but that was the best day of my life! When I realized who I was and Who He is, it was then I repented of my sins and trusted Him as my Saviour.

            Have you repented of your sins? Have you trusted Jesus as Saviour? Are you still walking with Him? Friend, He has not changed, Jesus is God! He alone can save! He loves you and gave His Son to die on the Cross of Calvary for your sin!