Vacation

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

I am leaving tomorrow for vacation and will not be returning until Wednesday, June 4. I will not be posting on my blog during that time, as I will not have internet access where I am going. I also want to let you all know that there will be no evangelism class next Wednesday.

I hope you all have a blessed week.

May the love of God, the Father, the grace our Lord Jesus Christ, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you.

Pastor Josh
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Genesis 44: 1-34; A Silver Cup In A Sack

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

It is amazing what God can do in the hearts of people. Just a few chapters ago Joseph's brothers did not care. They did not care that their father would miss Joseph, or that it was wrong to sell him into slavery. Now we see these brothers caring for Benjamin, and for their father. They know it will not be good for Benjamin to be a slave, and they know it will not be good for Jacob to be without his youngest son. If we let God into our hearts he can do amazing things. He can turn our hearts of stone into hearts of love and compassion. Let God into your heart and see the things he can do. God bless you,

Pastor Josh
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Genesis 43: 1-34; The Second Journey to Egypt

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Joseph is overwhelmed at the sight of his brother, Benjamin. At this point, the identity of Joseph remains a mystery to his brothers, but for Joseph this all is a tearful reunion with his long-lost family. Joseph weeps being in the presence of his family, knowing that someday soon he will be united with them once more. How happy are we to see our brothers and sisters in Christ? Worship is a blessing for us not only because we get to spend time with God, but also because we get to spend time with one another. Church is about fellowship as well as worship. As we approach our next worship opportunity I encourage you to remember what a blessing it is to be with our family in Christ. God bless you,

Pastor Josh
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Memorial Day

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

On this day when we are all eating hamburgers, hotdogs, beaked beans, etc. I encourage you all to take a moment and think about the men and women who fought to make sure we would have the chance to that.

I encourage you to pray for peace. No matter how you feel about the war I think we can all agree that we want peace, as does God.

May the Lord bless you and keep you,

Pastor Josh
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Genesis 42: 1-38; Joseph's Brothers Go To Egypt

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Joseph takes a page out of his uncle Esau's book here. Esau would have had every right to kill Jacob for stealing his birthright; Joseph would have had every right to have his brothers killed for selling him into slavery. However, like Esau before him, Joseph chose the path of forgiveness. He chose to forgive his brothers for what they had done to him. We have all been sinned against. In those times we have the choice to seek revenge or to take the path of forgiveness. I think Jesus would have us follow Joseph's, and Esau's, example and forgive all those who have sinned against us. God bless you,

Pastor Josh
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Genesis 41: 1-40; The Pharaoh's Dream

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, "Since God has made all this known to you, there is no one so discerning and wise as you." Books, movies, televison, and the internet have made it possible for us to know a lot of things. However, when it comes to knowledge of God we know nothing outside of that which God has given us. In other words, we only know God because God has given knowledge of him. This is important to remember. As we think we can find answers in a bunch of other places, it is important for us to remember that we only know God because he has chosen to reveal himself to us. God bless you,

Pastor Josh
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Genesis 40: 1-23; The Cupbearer and the Baker

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

I have always like this story for the simple reason that it reminds us that Joseph never gave up. Even though we was sold into slavery, and then thrown into prison, he never stopped believing God. If there was ever anyone who may have been justified in giving up their faith it may have been Joseph. However, Joseph did not give up; he continued to believe in God and continued to believe God would do good things in his life. We sometimes endure hardships. We sometimes face things that make us want to stop believing. But in those times I invite you to think about Joseph and how he never gave up in his faith in God. God bless you,

Pastor Josh
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Genesis 39: 1-23; Joseph and Potiphar's Wife

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Joseph was an honorable man even though it meant trouble for him. Joseph knew this situation with Potiphar's wife meant nothing good for him. It would have been easy for him to do the dishonorable thing. However, Joseph did the right thing, knowing full well that when he ran naked out of the house that he would be in trouble. The lesson for us today is to be holy even if it means something bad may happen to us. Other people may mistreat us, but God will smile on us. In all you do be holy for God's glory. God bless you,

Pastor Josh
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Sunday Scripture and Sermon for May 25, 2008

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

The Old Testament Scripture passage for this Sunday comes from Isaiah 49: 8-16, in which Isaiah is prophecying about the restoration of Israel to the Promised Land. The New Testament Scripture passage comes from Matthew 6: 24-34, in which Jesus gives us the command to not worry. The sermon title is 'Coming Through' and will focus on how there is always hope for us because God always comes through with his promises. I hope to see you Sunday. God bless you,

Pastor Josh
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Genesis 38: 1-30; Judah and Tamar

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

When asked what is the greatest commandment Jesus responds by saying 'love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. And the second is like it, love your neighbor as yourself.' Judah does not treat Tamar with love. She has lost two husbands and as a result of that is mistreated by Judah and his wife because they are afraid of being hurt. Loving our neighbor is something we should do not only in good situations; it is something we shoud do in bad situations as well, even if it means we may lose something in the end. In all times love your neighbor as yourself. God bless you,

Pastor Josh
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Genesis 37: 12-36; Joseph Sold By His Brothers

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Of all his sons Jacob loved Joseph the most. As a result of this Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers. There is danger in showing favoritism. One of the greatest blessings we have received from God is that God loves all of us equally. We are all God's children and God loves all of his children the same. Perhaps Jacob would have been saved a little heartache had he not loved Joseph the most. Perhaps Joseph would have been saved a horrible life had Jacob not loved him the most. We don't have to worry about God loving someone else more than he loves us. God loves all of his children equally. God bless you,

Pastor Josh
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Genesis 36: 1-30; Esau's Descendants

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Esau was pretty well messed up by Jacob, and snubbed out of his birth-right by Isaac. However, in the end, God took care of Esau. Esau was blessed with many children, grandchildren, and so on. Even though Esau was mistreated by his brother and father he was taken care of by God. That is a great promise for us. Sometimes we are left out in the cold by the rest of the world, but we have the promise that God will always be with us and always take care of us. Though we may be abandoned by the rest of the world, we will never be abandoned by God. Just as he did for Esau, God will take care of us. God bless you,

Pastor Josh
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Genesis 35: 1-15; Jacob Returns to Bethel

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

"Get rid of the foreign gods you have with you." Throughout the Old Testament Israel had a problem with other gods. It really took them a while to buy into the monotheism idea. At times, they worshiped and served other gods rather than the one true God. This is the reason for the commandment, 'you shall have no other gods before me.' We don't have that problem today; we have no other gods. However, we make gods of things that we allow to get in the way of doing service to God. When we give something more attention, love, etc. than we do to God we make a god out of it. The words of Jacob to get rid of forgeing gods, and the commandment from God to not have any other gods, are important for us to hear to remind us to serve and worship God alone. God bless you,

Pastor Josh
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Genesis 34: 1-31; Dinah and the Shechemites

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Dinah's brothers were not happy about what happened to their sister, so they did something about it. Now, I'm not suggesting we go kill people, but we can bear with one another in suffering. One of the many blessings of the Christian community is that we all have someone to look after us. Much in the same way Dinah's brothers looked out for her we all have someone, in our church family, to look out for us. What a blessing it is that we are surrounded by people who love us in our journey of faith. God bless you,

Pastor Josh
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Genesis 33: 1-20; Jacob Meets Esau

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Have you ever noticed that the story of Jacob and Esau is very similar to the parable of the prodigal son? Jacob gets the inheritance and then runs away where he gets into some trouble, after which he decides to go home even though he is afraid of what will happen to him when he does. And just like the father in the parable of the prodigal son Esau hugs Jacob when he gets back. We may have times when we turn away from God, and if we ever do we have the promise, made known to us through Jacob and the prodigal son, that God will welcome us back with open arms. God bless you,

Pastor Josh
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Genssis 32: 22-32; Jacob Wrestles With God

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Jacob just cannot get along with anyone, even the Lord. The lesson I think we can learn from Jacon here is not to wrestle with God. Sometimes our own desires come through and we decided we want to follow those instead of following God's will. Sometimes we wrestle with God. In the end our lives will be much better if we simply follow God's will and not our own. Do not wrestle with God. Instead listen to God and follow his will alone. God bless you,

Pastor Josh
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Sunday Scripture and Sermon for May 18, 2008

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

The Scripture passage for this Sunday is 2 Corinthians 13: 11-14, which is one of Paul's many benedictons, this one focusing on the Trinity. The sermon is 'Three In One' and we will be looking at how God has revealed his love to us in each person of the Trinity. I hope to see you Sunday. God bless you,

Pastor Josh
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Genesis 31: 1-21; Jacob Flees From Laban

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Then Jacob put his children and his wives on camels, and he drove all his livestock ahead of him, along with all the goods he had accumulated in Paddan Aram, to go to his father Isaac in the land of Canaan. When all else has failed Jacob decided to return home to his father. Things have not been going well for Jacob while he has been staying at Laban's place. Now, Jacob has had enough and decides to go home. He has been away for far too long, and he longs for that peace of mind that comes from going home. For Jacob, his last option was going home. How true that is for us as well. When all else has failed we can go home to God. When life gets us down we still have a place to turn, a place to call home. No matter how bad it gets we can always go to God. God bless you,

Pastor Josh
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Evangelism Class

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

I want to remind everyone that tonight will be the first week for our Evangelism Class. We will begin at 6:30 p.m. in the Library. If you want to learn more about going out and serving the Lord, I invite you to come and be a part of this class. I hope you are able to make it. God bless you,

Pastor Josh
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Genesis 30: 25-43; Jacob's Flocks Increase

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Jacob had a problem with forgiveness. I realize Laban was perhaps a little deserving of being cheated by Jacob, but Jesus says much later that we are to forgive 77 times. I think God wants that, too. Laban cheated Jacob, time and time again. And instead of forgiving Laban Jacob went and cheated him as well. When Jesus tells us to forgive someone 77 times he means it. No matter what anyone does to us we are commanded by Jesus to forgive them. This is a very hard thing to do, but if we are going to call ourselves disciples, those who follow Christ and his commands, we have to adhere to what Christ calls us to do: forgive. God bless you,

Pastor Josh
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Genesis 29: 16-30; Jacob Marries Leah and Rachel

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

In the end, Jacob had to work for 14 years in order to marry Rachel. The first seven years, I'm sure, were rough, but to pile on another seven after that is just horrible. Jacob's patience, I imagine, was wearing thin. How true this is for us as well. We may not be working 14 years to be able to marry the person we love, but we all have desires, we all have needs. And sometimes we feel like we should have those things right now. Remember, though, that God's time is not our time. We may want something right this minute, but that may not be what God has planned for us. Remember to be patient in waiting for the Lord to act in your life. Good things will come, but sometimes, like Jacob, we have to wait a little while. God bless you,

Pastor Josh
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Genesis 28: 10-22; Jacob's Dream at Bethel

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

"I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go." This is good news for Jacob. He wandered around quite a bit in hiding from his brother. He was utterly alone, but he had the promise that God would be with him, everywhere. This is part of the covenant we have with God. No matter where we go God is with us. This is very important for us to remember. Sometimes, as we go through life and our journey of faith, we feel alone, we feel abandoned, we feel cut off from God. If ever you feel like that remember these words from God to Jacob, and remember the words of Jesus to us, 'Surely I am with you always.' No matter how alone, abandoned, or cut off you feel always remember God is with you. God bless you,

Pastor Josh
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Genesis 27: 1-40; Jacob Gets Isaac's Blessing

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Jacob stole what rightfully belonged to his brother Esau. Esau, as the firstborn son was in line to get the blessing, along with all of Isaac's possessions. This was a big deal. Without the blessing Jacob would have had to live a hard life. For him to make Esau live this kind of life was a very big deal. And yet, later on, Esau forgives Jacob. We have all been wronged; we have all been sinned against. In those times we need to forgive. Like Esau forgave Jacob we need to forgive those who have sinned against us. Forgive others the way God has forgiven you. God bless you,

Pastor Josh
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Genesis 26: 1-35; Isaac and Abimelech

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

The LORD appeared to Isaac and said, "Do not go down to Egypt." Eventually, as we all know full well, the Israelites go down to Egypt. They do this, of course, after God tells them not to. They do it because they think it is what will be best for them, even though God told them it would be a bad idea. The lesson here is that God knows what is best for us. While we may think we have a good handle on things, and know what is good for us, God truly knows, and wants, what is good for us. We need to listen to God more and know that he truly knows what is good for us. God bless you,

Pastor Josh
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Genesis 25: 19-34; Jacob and Esau

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

The birthright was one of the most important things in the Biblical World. When it came to multiple sons the eldest was the one who received the birthright, which meant he received the entire inheritance. Here we see the trouble that can come from such an arrangement. If only Isaac and Rebekah loved both of their sons equally; if only there was no fight over who got all the goods. Isn't it great to know that we don't have to worry about that? With God there is no birthright. With God we are all loved equally and we all receive equally the gifts of salvation and eternal life. Jacob and Esau fought with each other as to who got the most stuff. Isn't it nice that we all, no matter who we are or where we come from, receive the same love and gifts from God? God bless you,

Pastor Josh
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Sunday Scripture and Sermon for May 11, 2008

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

The Scripture passage for this Sunday comes from Acts 2: 1-4, 12-21, in which the Apostles and Christians are gathered and the Holy Spirit is breathed upon them. The sermon title is 'That's Better' and will focus on how the New Covenant is an enhancement of the Old Covenant. I hope to see you Sunday. God bless you,

Pastor Josh
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Genesis 24: 1-67; Isaac and Rebekah

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

And so God continues to bless Abraham and his descendants. I like my wife very much, and it is such a blessing for me to have a companion as I go through life. I am sure many of you can testify to the blessing of that as well. God blessed Isaac with one of the greatest gifts he can give. To some this may be a simple story about how Isaac got his wife. But for me this is a story which shows just how much God blessed Abraham, and how much he blesses us today. May God continue to bless you,

Pastor Josh
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Genesis 23: 1-20; The Death of Sarah

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Ephron the Hittite is doing some ministry here. Abraham admits that he is an alien in a strange land; he does not know anyone in the land, and he does not belong. Ephron could have kicked Abraham out of the land, or perhaps worse. However, Ephron does not do this. He sees that Abraham is mourning the loss of his wife and takes this time to be kind and gracious to Abraham. Ministry does not always involve raising people from the dead, making the lame walk, the blind see, etc. Ministry is, simply put, reaching out to those in need. Ephron saw that Abraham was in need and he reached out to him. When you see someone in need, any kind of need, reach out to them and ministry to them as Christ would. God bless you,

Pastor Josh
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Genesis 22: 1-19; Abraham Tested

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

This may be one of the darkest stories in the entire Bible, but it may also be one of the most joyous. It is dark because God asked Abraham to sacrifice his son in the first place. But it is joyous because when we read this story we ought to remember that God sacrificed his one and only son that we might be forgiven of our sins. Through the grace of God all of us have received salvation from the bonds of sin. Praise be to God our Father and Jesus our Savior for wiping all of our sins away. God bless you,

Pastor Josh
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Genesis 21: 1-7; The Birth of Isaac

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

This time Sarah's laughter was not a bad thing. I envision her laughing because she is so overjoyed at the idea of having a child. Her happiness is a good thing because she is rejoicing in the blessing she has received from God. We should all rejoice in the blessings we have received from God. In all things thank God, but also take the time to laugh and be happy for the blessings we have received from God. God likes to see our smiling faces, which is the main reason he blesses us to begin with. Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again, REJOICE!! God bless you,

Pastor Josh
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Genesis 20: 1-18; Abraham and Abimelech

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

I think this is most likely where the idea for the commandment 'do not lie' came from. Look at all the trouble Abraham caused by simply not telling the truth. Just think about how much trouble could have been spared had Abraham simply told the truth. The other issue here is Abraham's lack of faith. He did not believe that God would protect him. No matter what, always be truthful knowing God will watch over you. Do not fall into the trap of thinking you need to lie to be safe. Trust in the Lord, for he is good. God bless you,

Pastor Josh
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Genesis 19: 1-19; Sodom and Gomorrah

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

In the midst of this horrible story there is a little bit of grace. Lot was spared the fate of the rest of those in Sodom and Gomorrah. We read here that the Lord was merciful to Lot and his family. God has been merciful to us as well. Though we have sinned against God he has granted us forgiveness through his son Jesus Christ. We do not have to worry about being 'swept away' for we have been saved through the life and work of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Thank God for his mercy to us. God bless you,

Pastor Josh
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Genesis 18: 1-15; The Three Visitors

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Sarah obvioudly found the possibility of her having a child amusing. God said to her that she would bear a child, and she laughed. I wonder how many times we have laughed at a supposedly impossible promise fron God. We have the blessing of knowing that nothing is impossible with God, and that God will do amazing things in our lives. Our job is to trust and know that he can and will do amazing things. No matter how impossible you think it may be do not forget that God can do amazing things in your life. God bless you,

Pastor Josh
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Sunday Scripture and Semon for May 4, 2008

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

The Scripture text for this Sunday is Matthew 28:16-20, in which Jesus gives the Great Commission. The sermon title is 'Why Do We Give,' and will focus on our reasons for giving of our tithes and offerings. I hope to see you Sunday. God bless you,

Pastor Josh
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Genesis 17: 1-27; The Covenant of Circumcision

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

"I am God Almighty; walk before me and be blameless. I will confirm my covenant between me and you and will greatly increase your numbers." The Lord makes the promise here that he will bless us, specifically with numbers, but I think we can look at this promise of blessing and assume that the promise of blessings in everything is there as well. The Lord blesses us with more than we will ever need. Our response to those blessings should be living a holy life. Holiness is a way for us to say thank you to God for all he has done for us. Saying 'thank you' is one thing we can do, but holy living is something else we can do to show God our appreciation for all he has done for us. God bless you,

Pastor Josh
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