Matthew 27: 27-31; The Soldiers Mock Jesus

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

If only they knew. If only these men knew Jesus is actually the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Maybe they would have treated him differently. Maybe they would have come to accept him as Lord and Savior. We see, here, a glimpse of what our life would be like if we did not have Jesus. Would we all be killers? Perhaps not. But our lives would be filled with anger and hate, rather than peace and love. This passage makes me more grateful because when I see this unfold I see what we all may have become had Jesus not come into the world. Thank Jesus for our salvation, but thank him, too, for making us better people; people whose lives are filled with peace and love, and not anger and hate. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Matthew 27: 11-26; Jesus Before Pilate

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Jesus could have taken this opportunity to get away, to escape the horrible fate that awaits him. Jesus, in his conversation with Pilate could have talked his way out of the charges. Before the Jews he could have recanted his ministry and apologized for everything. At any time Jesus could have gotten away. In the end, though, he does not do that. In the end, even though he has every opportunity to get away, Jesus goes to the cross. And he goes to the cross because he loves us. Jesus could not see anything except us on the outside of heaven looking in. Seeing that Jesus went to the cross that we might be able to enter those gates. It is Jesus' love that sends him to the cross: Jesus' love for us, that we may be with him where he is. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Sunday Scripture and Sermon for November 1, 2009

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

The Scripture passage for this Sunday is from Genesis 1: 14-19, in which God makes the sun, moon, and stars. The sermon is titled "The Fourth Day' and will focus on the blessings of the sun, moon, and stars. I hope to see you all on Sunday. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Matthew 27: 1-10; Judas Hangs Himelf

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

In Judas we see the opposite of Peter. Peter genuinely wanted to repent. Peter did repent and was accepted back into fellowship with Jesus. Judas, on the other hand, did not want to repent. Part of repentance means coming to the Lord. Judas did not go to the Lord. He went to the Jewish priests and elders. When that failed he killed himself. In times of struggle, or repentance, going to the Lord should always be our first step. The other steps we may take, in trying to make up for something we may have done, may lead us down the wrong path. I have no doubt that when Peter was weeping bitterly he was praying. His first step was to the Lord. Judas' was not. To whom are you going to take your first step? God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Matthew 26: 69-75; Peter Disowns Jesus

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Peter does one of the worst things he could possible do in this passage: he denies ever having been associated with Jesus. However, there is always an opportunity to repent and receive forgiveness. Peter, we are told, weeps bitterly when he realizes what he has done. That is his repentance. He recognizes the sin, feels guilt because of it, and wants to atone for that in some way. When Jesus is resurrected he restores Peter to his role as disciple. That is his forgiveness. Peter does a horrible thing, but there is still an opportunity for him to receive salvation. No matter how bad you think you have sinned there is still salvation. No matter what we do, if we truly repent and ask God to forgive us, we will be granted that salvation. So it was with Peter, so it is with us. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Matthew 26: 57-68; Before The Sanhedrin

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

In the midst of this terrible ordeal it is hard for us to find any good news. As people lie against Jesus, as they strike him and spit on him, it is hard for us to read this passage and be filled with hope. But there is hope in this passage. Jesus gives us the promise, here, that he will someday return and take us to the place he has prepared for us. Someday we will look up and see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven. That will be a glorious day for us, for that is the day when we will be taken home. Even though Jesus is going through the unspeakable here, it is still possible for us to read this passage and be given a little bit of hope. Our hope is this: someday Jesus will return and take us to the place he has prepared for us. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Matthew 26: 47-56; Jesus Arrested

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Jesus practices what he preaches. Jesus tells his disciples that is someone strikes them they are to turn the other cheek. These are not just empty words from Jesus. He really means this when he tells us to do this. What's more, Jesus does this. As Judas comes to betray him, and his enemies come to arrest him, Jesus could act out of anger or fear. He could do something to Judas, or his captors. He could allow his disciples to do this for him. Instead, though, Jesus goes with those who have come to arrest him. He turns the other cheek. He does this, in part, to fulfill the scriptures. But Jesus also does this to show the importance of not acting violently. We should listen to Jesus when he tells us to turn the other cheek because Jesus does that himself. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Matthew 26: 36-46; Gethsemane

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Jesus does not want to go to the cross. Jesus asks God here to deliver him from the horror that awaits him. Jesus has other plans, other desires for his life. In the end, Jesus does not want to be handed over, to be betrayed, to be tortured, to be crucified. In the end, though, Jesus does go through all of that. Jesus is handed over, he is betrayed, he is tortured, he is crucified. Jesus goes thorugh all of this because he knows we have no other options. Jesus knows this is the only way for us to be saved. And so he goes to the cross. He goes to the cross because he loves us and he wants us to have life. Even though he had other ideas, Jesus went to the cross to save us, to give us life, because he loves us. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Matthew 26: 31-35; Jesus Predicts Peter's Denial

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Jesus knows who we are. Jesus knows Peter well enough to know that when things are tight, Peter will disown Jesus. Obviously, Peter comes out of this looking rather foolish, but we still find some good news here. Jesus has taken the time to get to know Peter, to know what he thinks and how he feels. The same is true for us. We have a Lord who knows who we are, who knows every thought that passes through our minds. We do not follow a Lord who does not care about us, where we have been, where we are, or where we are going. Jesus loves us enough to know us, to know what we think and how we feel. Peter, I think, wishes Jesus doesn't know him so well. But for us this is good news. Jesus loves us, Jesus knows us. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Evening Worship

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

This Sunday we will be having an Evening Worship Service. Our Autumn Praisefest will begin at 6:00 p.m. John McCarty will lead us in song as we praise God. There will be a brief message, as well as the official dedication of our Chapel chairs. Following worship we will spend time in fellowship in the church parking lot where we will be having hot apple cider. I hope you are all able to join us for this worship service. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Sunday Scripture and Sermon for October 25, 2009

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

The Scripture passage for this Sunday is from Genesis 1: 9-13, in which God creates land and vegetation. The sermon is titled 'The Third Day' and will focus on the blessings of the land God creates on the third day. I hope to see you all on Sunday. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Matthew 26: 17-30; The Lord's Supper

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

"Take and eat. This is my body." Jesus sacrificed himself that we might have life. When we take communion we are remembering Jesus and the sacrifice he made for us so that we may have life in us. On our communion table are inscribed the word, 'In Remembrance of Me.' We honor Jesus by remembering him; by remembering the sacrifice he made for us. When you eat the bread and drink the cup make sure you take those few precious moments to remember Jesus and his love for you. May we never forget the ultimate sacrifice: the body of Christ, broken; the blood of Christ, shed. "Do this in Remembrance of me." God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Matthew 26: 14-16; Judas Agrees to Betray Jesus

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

When I read this passage I cannot help but think how much this passage does for us on our journey of faith. Jesus knows what we go through. That is one of the most amazing things about our Lord: he knows exactly how we feel at any given time because he has faced the same things we face. We see that here as we read about Judas, one of Jesus' closest friends, agreeing to betray Jesus. Jesus knows what is like to be abandoned and betrayed by someone he loves. Jesus, having gone through life as a human being, can help us as we go through life because he has lived the same life, he has experienced the same things. Jesus is our helper. No matter what kind of situation we find ourselves in, Jesus will be there to help us get through it. And he can do that because he has been through what we go through. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Matthew 26: 6-13; Jesus Anointed at Bethany

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

We are called to go forth and make disciples of all nations; we are called to heal the sick, feed the hungry, visit people in prison, give drink to the thirsty, and clothe the naked. In the midst of all that, though, we must not forget to worship Jesus. This faithful woman, who blesses Jesus by anointing him, should be remembered because of her worship of the Lord. Jesus has done great things for her, and for others, and she is taking time to honor him for that. We must have the same spirit in us: the spirit that tells us how great Jesus is. We are supposed to be a busy people, but we are also supposed to be a worshipful people. Praise Jesus for all he has done. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Matthew 26: 1-5; The Plot Against Jesus

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Jesus knows exactly what to expect as he travels to Jerusalem. He knows that he is going to be handed over; he knows he is going to be humiliated in a 'trial' by the Jewish court; he knows he is going to be tortured and crucified. Jesus knows all of this is going to happen. And yet, he goes to the cross anyway. He still travels down to Jerusalem. Why? Because we need him to. We need Jesus to go to the cross. We need Jesus to be handed over; we need Jesus to be put on trial; we need Jesus to be crucified. Jesus knows our needs, and he takes care of those needs. Jesus loves us enough to go through all of this that we may be saved. Jesus knows what to expect if he goes to Jerusalem, but he goes anyway. Why? Because he loves us. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Matthew 25: 31-46; The Sheep and the Goats

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

When we stand before Jesus we will not be able to say we did not know what to do. When we stand before Jesus we will have no reason for not doing what he has called us to do. Jesus gives us a clear, concise list here of the things we need to be doing to continue his ministry in this world. In Jesus' absence we are responsible for doing what Jesus did throughout his ministry: caring for those who are in need. Jesus healed the blind, the lame, the deaf, the mute; he cast out demons; he offered comfort; in short, Jesus lent a hand where help was needed. We need to be doing the same thing. Jesus reminds us of that here and he tells us the specific things we are supposed to be doing. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Matthew 25: 14-30; The Parable of the Talents

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Jesus has given us what we need to enhance his kingdom. We are called to make disciples of all nations, to bring more people to faith in Jesus Christ. In this parable we are given a reminder that Jesus has given us all we need to accomplish that mission. He has given us talents, something with which to work, that we may make disciples. Some take what Jesus has given and use it for its intended purpose, others horde it and keep the word of God to themselves. We all need to be like the first two servants who multiplied what had been given to them. Jesus has given us all we need. Our job is to take what has been given and make more. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Matthew 25: 1-13; The Parable of Ten Virgins

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Woe to those who are not ready for Jesus. We are told what we are supposed to be doing to prepare for the return of Jesus. This parable serves as a warning to those who are not following those instructions. Jesus is drawing a line in the sand here, letting us know that if we are not ready, if we are not faithful, we will not be welcome at the banquet. If we want to go with Jesus, if we want to enter the kingdom of heaven, we need to live follow him and do all he calls us to do. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Matthew 24: 36-51; The Day and Hour Unknown

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Even Jesus does not know when he is going to come back. Does that mean we should give up, thinking he will never come back? No. We are supposed to prepare ourselves. Jesus is going to come like a thief in the night, when we least expect it. With that in mind we need to make sure we are living every single second in a holy in righteous way, so that when Jesus does come back he will find us living the kind of life he wants us to live. Jesus is going to come back someday. Maybe today, maybe tomorrow, maybe years from now. Someday we will look up and see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven. We need to make sure we are ready for him when he gets here. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Sunday Scripture and Sermon for October 18, 2009

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

The Scripture passage for this Sunday is from Genesis 1: 6-8, in which God separates the heavenly waters from the earthly waters. The sermon is titled 'The Second Day,' and will focus on the firmament God created to separate these two parts of creation. I hope to see you all on Sunday. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Matthew 24: 1-35; Signs of the End of the Age

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

It may get bad before it gets better. Sadly, that is what Jesus is telling us here; that we can expect trials and tribulations as we go through life. The trials and tribulations will test our faith in a hard way and will make our lives incredible hard. In the midst of that, though, there is hope; hope that Jesus is going to come back. Jesus stands by his promises, so when he promises us he will return to deliver us from the difficulties we face we can believe him. Yes, things may get rough, but we can hold on to that hope. We can continue to believe that someday Jesus will return to deliver us from the hardships of this life. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Matthew 23: 1-39; Seven Woes

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

It goes without saying that Jesus does not get along with the Pharisees, and the number one reason is that the Pharisees are supposed to make the people's lives and journeys of faith easier but do not do so. The Pharisees, who have extensively studied the Law, are supposed to be there to help people better understand and live out the Law. Instead, they opt for corruption, to make the people's lives miserable. We are supposed to help people in their journey of faith. We who have learned much in our faith are supposed to share that knowledge with those around us. We are supposed to be there to assist people, and make their journey of faith easier. This assignment is not just for ministers. We are all supposed to look out for one another, helping each other in our faith, to make sure we are all believing, living, and worshiping in the right way. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Matthew 22: 41-46; Whose Son is the Christ

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

"Who do you say that I am?" "You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God." Peter offers this confession in response to Jesus' question. Jesus asks, essentially, the same question of the Pharisees. Jesus asks us the question as well. How are we going to answer? Are we going to confess Jesus as the Christ; confess him as the Way, the Truth, and the Life; confess him as the one true Lord? The Pharisees have their answer, Peter has his. What is our answer going to be when we hear Jesus ask us, 'who do you say that I am?' God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Matthew 22: 34-40; The Greatest Commandment

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

All you need is love. Who knew John Lennon was such a prominent theologian? Love truly can make the world a better place. If we all were to a little better at loving one another then we would be closer to being the world God wants us to be. In terms of our human relationships I think that is what God really wants: for us to live together in peace and in love. Remember Jesus and the love he has for all those around him. Despite the fact that they are all different from one another Jesus loves them all just the same, with his whole heart. We should carry on that love. We need to love our neighbors, friends, family, and enemies all the same, remembering the love Jesus has for us, but also remembering the desire God has for us to live together in peace and love. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Matthew 22: 23-33; Marriage at the Resurrection

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Joyful and worshipful hearts is what we will have when we enter those gates. Our hearts will be filled with such joy and peace that all we will be able to do is worship God. That is what the angels do. In the Old Testament we are given a few glimpses of the heavens, and most of those glimpses include angels worshiping at the feet of the Lord. That is how we will be, too. When our eternal life and salvation are made complete by entering the kingdom of heaven, we will be overcome with joy and a desire for worship we will be moved to do nothing else. This is not to say we will not see, or enjoy seeing, those whom we have loved in this life. This is just to say that we find ourselves before God's throne we will find ourselves so overwhelmed we will be concerned with little more than the act of worshiping our God. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Matthew 22: 15-22; Paying Taxes to Caesar

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

This is not a saying about money. Jesus, here, is echoing the words we find in Genesis, that man is made in God's image. The coins that are brought before Jesus have Caesar's image on them, so they belong to Caesar. What belongs to God? Those things that have God's image on them belong to God. We belong to God. We are made in God's image. God's image is imprinted on us. We are his. Jesus is telling us here that we are supposed to give ourselves to God; we are to surrender our entire lives and love to him. We give ourselves into his service, into his hands of love and grace. We bear God's image. We belong to him. Let us give ourselves to him. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Matthew 22: 1-14; The Parable of the Wedding Banquet

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

We have received an invitation. It has come in a bright shiny envelope with gold ink. It is addressed to us personally. Inside is a card written in the most beautiful handwriting. It is from God. It says, 'Come to me.' The question is, are we going to accept this invitation with our whole heart? Are we going to read the words, believe in God's promise, and accept the invitation to life and salvation we have been given from God? God has said to us, and he means it with his whole heart, 'Come to me.' Will you accept the invitation? God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Sunday Scripture and Sermon for October 11, 2009

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

The Scripture passage for this Sunday is from Genesis 1: 1-5, in which God begins the creation of the world. The sermon is titled 'The First Day' and will focus on the light God creates and the blessings we receive because of that light. I hope to see you all on Sunday. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Matthew 21: 33-46; The Parable of the Tenants

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

God has constantly tried, throughout the history of the world, to reach his children. In the Old Testament God calls the prophets to open the eyes of the Israelites. Time after time God calls people such Isaiah, Jeremiah, Daniel, etc. to preach to the Israelites, to try and lead them back to the right path. In the New Testament God sends his one and only Son into the world. There is not anything God will not due to bring us back to him. He is even willing to give up his one and only son that we might have life in us. That is love. God has never given up on his children. He continues now to call people into his service in order that the world will know and love the name of Jesus. There is not anything God will not do to bring us back to him. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Matthew 21: 28-32; The Parable of the Two Sons

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

God does not ask very much of us. When you stops and thinks about all God has done for us, our service and devotion is a small price to pay in response to what God has done. God has given us the air we breathe, the food we eat, the homes in which we live. God has given us life, salvation, and the strength we need to continue on through our journey of faith. When we look at those things, and the many other things God has done, it is not too much for God to ask us to go and 'work in the vineyard.' With all God has done for us doing a little work for him is not too much to ask. Go today and work in the vineyard, remembering what God has done for you. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Matthew 21: 23-27; The Authority of Jesus Questioned

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

We do not need to ask the question, for we know from where Jesus gets his authority. We do not have doubt in our hearts, and we need to keep it that way. Jesus is who he says he is. We should not question him on that subject. We need to keep our eyes open as to who Jesus is. Blind faith is needed in order to follow Jesus: an unconditional belief in Jesus as the Christ, the son of the Living God. The 'powers-that-be' do not believe in Jesus and because of that are unable to see who Jesus is and what he is going to do for the world. We need to keep our eyes open. We have seen what Jesus did for the world on the cross. We need to keep our eyes open that we would see what Jesus is still doing in the world. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Matthew 21: 18-22; The Fig Tree Withers

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

It is amazing what a little bit of faith can do. Jesus tells us we can make a tree wither away to nothing; that we can move mountains. If we only have faith, if we only truly believe in our hearts that wondrous things can happen, then wondrous things will happen. Too many time we read these words and think only of withering fig trees or moving mountains. Our faith can do so much more than that. If we believe in our hearts, if we have faith, that this church can grow, then this church will grow. If we have faith that God will do amazing things here in this place, God will do amazing things. We need to believe; we need to have faith that we can become the church God wants us to be. If we believe, truly believe, then that will surely happen. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Matthew 21: 12-17; Jesus at the Temple

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Matthew gives us a good picture of Jesus here. We can see, and hear, the anger of Jesus as we read this passage. And we can understand, we can sympathize with Jesus. The Temple, the House of God, is being violated by the money and corruption of the people. So Jesus throws them all out, because they are not using God's house in the proper way. We would do well to remember this passage. Even though there are no money changers or sacrificial animals in this church we still need to be reminded that this place is a house of worship, a house of prayer. This is a place for us to rest, to be renewed and refreshed for our journey of faith. This place is a house of worship; a place to come before the throne of grace to offer thanksgiving and praise. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Matthew 21: 1-11; The Triumphal Entry

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Hosanna! That word means, literally, save us. The people who are shouting mean for Jesus to same them from Rome. They want the army gone, the persecution gone, the suffering gone. They want Jesus to save them. What they do not realize is that Jesus does save them, just in a different way. Jesus has saved the world, but he has saved us from sin. He has delivered us from the one thing that was standing in the way of us having a deep relationship with God. We shout Hosanna as an act of praise, for we know what Jesus has done for us. Jesus has saved us; he has delivered us. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Matthew 20: 29-34; Two Blind Men Recieve Sight

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Jesus heals the blind. There are many stories in the gospels of Jesus laying his hands on blind people and restoring their sight. Jesus opens their eyes that they may see the world. Jesus heals our blindness as well. Before Jesus came into the world the world was in total darkness, unable to see the light and the love of God. After Jesus came into the world the light became visible, the love of God entered the heart of everyone. As we read through Jesus' ministry our eyes are opened to the love and grace of God. We can see the Lord and the love he has for us, for Jesus has laid his hands on us and cured the blindness that kept us in the dark. We can see. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Scripture and Sermon for October 4, 2009

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

The Scripture for this Sunday is from 2 Thessalonians 3: 6-12, in which Paul gives the Thessalonians some final instructions. The sermon is titled 'Walk the Walk' and will focus on our need as Christians to live our faith. I hope to see you all on Sunday. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Matthew 20: 20-28; A Mother's Request

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

This flies in the face of the 'Rat Race.' We are taught, as a culture, to get ahead, worry about your self, etc. Jesus tells us something a little different. Jesus tells us to put others before us, to work hard to make sure others are doing better than we are. The world may ridicule us for such a mindset, but the Lord will smile on us. Jesus is our example here. Jesus, being the Son of God and all, could have had the entire world as his footstool. Jesus had the opportunity to rule the world, to be king over all we see. However, Jesus chose to save us. Instead of taking the power he took the shame and pain in order to save us from sin. We should be doing the same thing. The world tells us to get ahead, to seek power, to climb up the ladder. Jesus tells us to serve others and do for them whatever they need. I think we would do well to follow Jesus here. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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