Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.
According to Judges, Tola did not do very much in his life. Yes, he ruled Israel for 23 years, but other than we are given no information. He is remembered as a ruler, that is all. Not a good ruler, not a bad ruler. His life seems to have little or no significance whatsoever. No one, it seems, had too much to say about Tola when he died. What will people say of us when we go to our Lord? Will they say we lived a life faith which reflected the life of Jesus? Or will they say we lived for so many years and nothing more? Obviously, our goal should be to God's glory, but there is a human concern of how we want to be remembered. Give yourselves more than 2 scripture verses' worth of remembrance by living the kind of life Jesus wants you to live. God bless you.
Pastor Josh
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Sunday, November 22, 2009
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Pastor Josh on Vacation
Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.
I will be on vacation next week, beginning after the worship service on Sunday November 22, 2009 through November 28. I will not be posting while I am on vacation. Posting will resume on November 29, 2009. If you need anything while I am away please contact one of the Elders. God bless you.
Pastor Josh
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I will be on vacation next week, beginning after the worship service on Sunday November 22, 2009 through November 28. I will not be posting while I am on vacation. Posting will resume on November 29, 2009. If you need anything while I am away please contact one of the Elders. God bless you.
Pastor Josh
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Judges 9: 1-57; Abimelech
Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.
The Old Covenant had a 'clause' in it which made clear that God would punish, sometimes with death, sin. The Israelites had to continually make sure they were living well, making sacrifices, etc. in order that they would be spared from God's divine punishment. In some cases, even that was not enough, as many Israelites were punished for their sins. The New Covenant has the 'Jesus Clause.' And the Jesus Clause states that Jesus took the punishment that should have been ours. If we accept Jesus and live a life that reflects that acceptance, then we have no need to worry about punishment. Jesus took the punishment upon his own shoulders, he saved us from that fate. Now we are free from sin, punishment, and even death. We are blessed to be members of the New Covenant, a covenant in which we are perfectly saved. God bless you.
Pastor Josh
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The Old Covenant had a 'clause' in it which made clear that God would punish, sometimes with death, sin. The Israelites had to continually make sure they were living well, making sacrifices, etc. in order that they would be spared from God's divine punishment. In some cases, even that was not enough, as many Israelites were punished for their sins. The New Covenant has the 'Jesus Clause.' And the Jesus Clause states that Jesus took the punishment that should have been ours. If we accept Jesus and live a life that reflects that acceptance, then we have no need to worry about punishment. Jesus took the punishment upon his own shoulders, he saved us from that fate. Now we are free from sin, punishment, and even death. We are blessed to be members of the New Covenant, a covenant in which we are perfectly saved. God bless you.
Pastor Josh
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Friday, November 20, 2009
Judges 8: 28-35; Gideon's Death
Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.
Forty years of peace. I wonder what that would feel like. As Christians we are not only called to have peace, we are also called to make peace. Not all of us are in a position to make world peace, but we can peace in our own neighborhoods. There may not be a war being fought here in Mt. Lebanon, but we do not always get along with all those around us. We can, though, and we should. We can make forty years of peace for ourselves right here, in our little corner of God's creation. This begins with love. We should, as Jesus commands us, love our neighbors as we love ourselves. Forgiveness is also important. We should, as Jesus commands, forgive our neighbors for any sin they commit against us. We can make forty years of peace. And we can do that through love and mercy. God bless you.
Pastor Josh
<><
Forty years of peace. I wonder what that would feel like. As Christians we are not only called to have peace, we are also called to make peace. Not all of us are in a position to make world peace, but we can peace in our own neighborhoods. There may not be a war being fought here in Mt. Lebanon, but we do not always get along with all those around us. We can, though, and we should. We can make forty years of peace for ourselves right here, in our little corner of God's creation. This begins with love. We should, as Jesus commands us, love our neighbors as we love ourselves. Forgiveness is also important. We should, as Jesus commands, forgive our neighbors for any sin they commit against us. We can make forty years of peace. And we can do that through love and mercy. God bless you.
Pastor Josh
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Thursday, November 19, 2009
Sunday Scripture and Sermon for November 22, 2009
Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.
The Scripture passage for this Sunday is from Genesis 2: 1-3, in which God takes a rest from his labors. The sermon is titled 'The Seventh Day' and will focus on the blessings we have of the Sabbath day. I hope you are all able to join us for worship. God bless you.
Pastor Josh
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The Scripture passage for this Sunday is from Genesis 2: 1-3, in which God takes a rest from his labors. The sermon is titled 'The Seventh Day' and will focus on the blessings we have of the Sabbath day. I hope you are all able to join us for worship. God bless you.
Pastor Josh
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Judges 8: 22-27; Gideon's Ephod
Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.
What a great confession from Gideon: 'The Lord will rule over you.' Having a king is something that is going to cause Israel problems later on. They desire a king so they can be like 'other nations,' forgetting they are supposed to be a nation set apart. Once they do get a king they begin to follow the king rather than God. Once that happens Israel's troubles begin to grow exponentially. The Lord is our king, he is our ruler. Everything we do should be brought before him. God is not just our friend, he is our king. As such we should allow him to rule over us, to lead us and guide us, to help us. The Lord is our king, we should treat him like it. God bless you.
Pastor Josh
<><
What a great confession from Gideon: 'The Lord will rule over you.' Having a king is something that is going to cause Israel problems later on. They desire a king so they can be like 'other nations,' forgetting they are supposed to be a nation set apart. Once they do get a king they begin to follow the king rather than God. Once that happens Israel's troubles begin to grow exponentially. The Lord is our king, he is our ruler. Everything we do should be brought before him. God is not just our friend, he is our king. As such we should allow him to rule over us, to lead us and guide us, to help us. The Lord is our king, we should treat him like it. God bless you.
Pastor Josh
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Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Judges 8: 1-21; Zebah and Zalmunna
Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.
Jesus says, 'You have heard that it was said, an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth. But I say to you if someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.' Gideon practices vengeance in this passage, the kind of vengeance Jesus forbids us, as Christians, to practice. Reading stories like this can sometimes be difficult, but this story does give us an idea of what our lives would be like without Jesus. Gideon does not have Jesus in his life, and so his life is a little more difficult. Sometimes his anger and other emotions get the better of him. We have Jesus, who makes our lives better, who enables us to live the kind of life he wants us to live, a life filled with love, not vengeance. God bless you.
Pastor Josh
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Jesus says, 'You have heard that it was said, an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth. But I say to you if someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.' Gideon practices vengeance in this passage, the kind of vengeance Jesus forbids us, as Christians, to practice. Reading stories like this can sometimes be difficult, but this story does give us an idea of what our lives would be like without Jesus. Gideon does not have Jesus in his life, and so his life is a little more difficult. Sometimes his anger and other emotions get the better of him. We have Jesus, who makes our lives better, who enables us to live the kind of life he wants us to live, a life filled with love, not vengeance. God bless you.
Pastor Josh
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Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Judges 7: 1-25; Gideon Defeats the Midianites
Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.
Trust is always an important factor. Imagine the look on Gideon's face as the Lord trims down his army from 24,000 men to 300. That is quite a drop in numbers. I imagine Gideon thinking, somewhere in his heart, that 300 men is not enough to win the fight. Most of us would think the same thing. However, in the end, Gideon trusts the Lord, and the Lord delivers him and his people. This is possible because Gideon trusts God. He trusts that God is going to provide everything he needs in order to win. Gideon is a living example of what it means to trust the Lord when it seems like everything is going to come crashing down. We may not find ourselves in the exact same situation, but there are many times in our lives when we may think the Lord is not strong enough, that there is too much going on. The numbers, statistics, power, etc. of the world overwhelm us to the point where we simply do not have enough trust in the Lord. In those times we can remember Gideon. We can remember that with only 300 men God delivers Gideon and his people. Gideon trust the Lord. We should show that same trust. God bless you.
Pastor Josh
<><
Trust is always an important factor. Imagine the look on Gideon's face as the Lord trims down his army from 24,000 men to 300. That is quite a drop in numbers. I imagine Gideon thinking, somewhere in his heart, that 300 men is not enough to win the fight. Most of us would think the same thing. However, in the end, Gideon trusts the Lord, and the Lord delivers him and his people. This is possible because Gideon trusts God. He trusts that God is going to provide everything he needs in order to win. Gideon is a living example of what it means to trust the Lord when it seems like everything is going to come crashing down. We may not find ourselves in the exact same situation, but there are many times in our lives when we may think the Lord is not strong enough, that there is too much going on. The numbers, statistics, power, etc. of the world overwhelm us to the point where we simply do not have enough trust in the Lord. In those times we can remember Gideon. We can remember that with only 300 men God delivers Gideon and his people. Gideon trust the Lord. We should show that same trust. God bless you.
Pastor Josh
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Monday, November 16, 2009
Judges 6: 1-40; Gideon
Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.
God can use anyone. Moses tells God he has a speech impediment. Jeremiah does not want to be used by God. Jonah runs away from God. Paul used to murder Christians. Gideon comes from the weakest clan. All of these people were used by God in one way or another. They think they do not have what it takes, but God finds a way to use them to bring about His will on earth. We may think we are too weak, too small, too quiet, too loud. But in the end we need to remember that God can, and will, use anyone for his service. No matter what we feel our limitations may be God can still use us. We just need to keep our eyes and ears open. God speaks, He calls us into his service. We need to listen and look that we will know what God wants from us, and we need to remember that no matter what we think our limitations are God can still use us. God bless you.
Pastor Josh
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God can use anyone. Moses tells God he has a speech impediment. Jeremiah does not want to be used by God. Jonah runs away from God. Paul used to murder Christians. Gideon comes from the weakest clan. All of these people were used by God in one way or another. They think they do not have what it takes, but God finds a way to use them to bring about His will on earth. We may think we are too weak, too small, too quiet, too loud. But in the end we need to remember that God can, and will, use anyone for his service. No matter what we feel our limitations may be God can still use us. We just need to keep our eyes and ears open. God speaks, He calls us into his service. We need to listen and look that we will know what God wants from us, and we need to remember that no matter what we think our limitations are God can still use us. God bless you.
Pastor Josh
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Sunday, November 15, 2009
Judges 5: 1-31; The Song of Deborah
Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.
Deborah praises and thanks God after God helped her deliver the Israelites. Deborah recognizes that God has blessed her and she thanks God for that. There is a lesson in that for us. God blesses us each and every day of our lives. Every single day God reaches into this world and does something for us. When that happens I think it would be a good idea to drop everything right then and thank God for that blessing, whatever it may be. We receive blessings every day. It would be fitting, then, to thank God every day. God bless you.
Pastor Josh
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Deborah praises and thanks God after God helped her deliver the Israelites. Deborah recognizes that God has blessed her and she thanks God for that. There is a lesson in that for us. God blesses us each and every day of our lives. Every single day God reaches into this world and does something for us. When that happens I think it would be a good idea to drop everything right then and thank God for that blessing, whatever it may be. We receive blessings every day. It would be fitting, then, to thank God every day. God bless you.
Pastor Josh
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Saturday, November 14, 2009
Judges 4: 1-24; Deborah
Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.
Faith is necessary for God's will to be done. Barak does not show much faith here. He is not willing to go it alone on this one and pretty much demands that Deborah go with him. In that we see that we must have faith in what God can do. If we need God's help but do not believe God can, or will, help us, then we will not receive the help we need. We must believe in our hearts that God has the power and the love to help us. If we do believe, God will give us what we need. God bless you.
Pastor Josh
<><
Faith is necessary for God's will to be done. Barak does not show much faith here. He is not willing to go it alone on this one and pretty much demands that Deborah go with him. In that we see that we must have faith in what God can do. If we need God's help but do not believe God can, or will, help us, then we will not receive the help we need. We must believe in our hearts that God has the power and the love to help us. If we do believe, God will give us what we need. God bless you.
Pastor Josh
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Friday, November 13, 2009
Judges 3: 31; Shamgar
Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.
One of the things that stands out to me as I read through this book is the fact that God uses so many people to save Israel at one time or another. Shamgar, though we are told almost nothing about him, is used by God to deliver Israel in some way. The message in all of this is that God works in a lot of different ways, through a lot of different people. We need to keep our eyes, ears, and hearts open to the ways God can and will work in the world. He may be trying to work in our lives in a certain way, but we are, for whatever reason, unable to recognize it. God works. We need to be able to recognize him when he is working in our lives. God bless you.
Pastor Josh
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One of the things that stands out to me as I read through this book is the fact that God uses so many people to save Israel at one time or another. Shamgar, though we are told almost nothing about him, is used by God to deliver Israel in some way. The message in all of this is that God works in a lot of different ways, through a lot of different people. We need to keep our eyes, ears, and hearts open to the ways God can and will work in the world. He may be trying to work in our lives in a certain way, but we are, for whatever reason, unable to recognize it. God works. We need to be able to recognize him when he is working in our lives. God bless you.
Pastor Josh
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Thursday, November 12, 2009
Work Day
Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.
We are having a Work Day sponsored by the Property Team this Saturday, November 14. We take these days to do a few projects around the church. There isn't anything too hard, but we do need as many hands as possible. If you are interested, and have some time, we would love for you to join us for this work day. We'll be getting started around 8:30 AM and going till about 12:30 PM. Feel free to stop by any time during those hours. God bless you.
Pastor Josh
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We are having a Work Day sponsored by the Property Team this Saturday, November 14. We take these days to do a few projects around the church. There isn't anything too hard, but we do need as many hands as possible. If you are interested, and have some time, we would love for you to join us for this work day. We'll be getting started around 8:30 AM and going till about 12:30 PM. Feel free to stop by any time during those hours. God bless you.
Pastor Josh
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Cookout & Evening Worship
Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.
We are having a Cookout this Sunday evening at the church. The cookout will begin around 6:00 p.m. and we will be having hamburgers, hot dogs, salad, and maybe even some treats. Following the cookout we will be having a worship service in the Chapel. Our evening services are a lot of fun and are another great opportunity to spend time with God and our friends from the church we know and love. I hope you are all able to make it. God bless you.
Pastor Josh
<><
We are having a Cookout this Sunday evening at the church. The cookout will begin around 6:00 p.m. and we will be having hamburgers, hot dogs, salad, and maybe even some treats. Following the cookout we will be having a worship service in the Chapel. Our evening services are a lot of fun and are another great opportunity to spend time with God and our friends from the church we know and love. I hope you are all able to make it. God bless you.
Pastor Josh
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Sunday Scripture and Sermon for November 15, 2009
Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.
The Scripture passage for this Sunday comes from Genesis 1: 26-31, during which time God creates human beings and gives them dominion over the earth. The sermon is titled 'The Sixth Day,' and will focus on the blessing of being made 'in God's image,' and what that means for us. I hope to see you all on Sunday. God bless you.
Pastor Josh
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The Scripture passage for this Sunday comes from Genesis 1: 26-31, during which time God creates human beings and gives them dominion over the earth. The sermon is titled 'The Sixth Day,' and will focus on the blessing of being made 'in God's image,' and what that means for us. I hope to see you all on Sunday. God bless you.
Pastor Josh
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Judges 3: 12-30; Ehud
Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.
Holding on to hope is sometimes a difficult thing. Israel must have struggles to keep their hope alive as they watched their lands being taken over by someone else, as they had to suffer at the hands of others. In the end God delivered them, of course, but while they were waiting for that deliverance I can imagine them struggling to hold on to that hope. The truth is, though, there was hope. There was hope that God was going to come and deliver them from the hands of their oppressors. That hope was brought to fruition when God did deliver the Israelites. We have that same hope. Yes, sometimes things go wrong. Yes, there are times when darkness is all we see. But in those times we can cling to that hope that God is going to deliver us. We can cling to that hope that someday our suffering will be over. It is not always easy to feel that hope, but we truly do have it. We can know that God is going to come and deliver us from our pain and suffering. God bless you.
Pastor Josh
<><
Holding on to hope is sometimes a difficult thing. Israel must have struggles to keep their hope alive as they watched their lands being taken over by someone else, as they had to suffer at the hands of others. In the end God delivered them, of course, but while they were waiting for that deliverance I can imagine them struggling to hold on to that hope. The truth is, though, there was hope. There was hope that God was going to come and deliver them from the hands of their oppressors. That hope was brought to fruition when God did deliver the Israelites. We have that same hope. Yes, sometimes things go wrong. Yes, there are times when darkness is all we see. But in those times we can cling to that hope that God is going to deliver us. We can cling to that hope that someday our suffering will be over. It is not always easy to feel that hope, but we truly do have it. We can know that God is going to come and deliver us from our pain and suffering. God bless you.
Pastor Josh
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Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Judges 3: 7-11; Othniel
Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.
"But when they cried out to the LORD, he raised up for them a deliverer, Othniel son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger brother, who saved them." God never gives up on Israel. In the first verse of this passage we are told that Israel is not living in fear of the Lord. In other words, they are not living the kind of life God wants them to live. So God punishes them for this. However, when they call out, when they repent, God immediately saves them from the punishment he has delivered onto them. God loves Israel enough to deliver them no matter what kind of life they are living. God never gives up on us either. We may, at times, fall short and turn from the path God has laid out for us. In those times, though, God is still there to deliver us, to help us, to bless us. No matter what we do God will never give up on us. He will never leave us nor forsake us. God bless you.
Pastor Josh
<><
"But when they cried out to the LORD, he raised up for them a deliverer, Othniel son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger brother, who saved them." God never gives up on Israel. In the first verse of this passage we are told that Israel is not living in fear of the Lord. In other words, they are not living the kind of life God wants them to live. So God punishes them for this. However, when they call out, when they repent, God immediately saves them from the punishment he has delivered onto them. God loves Israel enough to deliver them no matter what kind of life they are living. God never gives up on us either. We may, at times, fall short and turn from the path God has laid out for us. In those times, though, God is still there to deliver us, to help us, to bless us. No matter what we do God will never give up on us. He will never leave us nor forsake us. God bless you.
Pastor Josh
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Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Judges 2: 6- 3: 6; Disobedience and Defeat
Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.
Joshua's generation failed one major thing: they did not tell the next generation about God and what he had done for Israel. We are told here that the next generation, the generation after Joshua, did not know the Lord. They did not know because they were not told. That knowledge was not passed on to the next generation, which ends up causing Israel come trouble, as they live their lives outside of God's will. Our children are the future. They are the future of the world, and they are the future of the church. If we want the name of the Lord known in the world after we are gone, then we need to tell our children that name. Of course, this is not limited to our children. We need to tell everyone about the Lord and all he has done for the world. In short, we are supposed to share the good news of the Lord with all those around us. The name of the Lord needs to be known throughout the world for all time. It is up to us to make that happen. God bless you.
Pastor Josh
<><
Joshua's generation failed one major thing: they did not tell the next generation about God and what he had done for Israel. We are told here that the next generation, the generation after Joshua, did not know the Lord. They did not know because they were not told. That knowledge was not passed on to the next generation, which ends up causing Israel come trouble, as they live their lives outside of God's will. Our children are the future. They are the future of the world, and they are the future of the church. If we want the name of the Lord known in the world after we are gone, then we need to tell our children that name. Of course, this is not limited to our children. We need to tell everyone about the Lord and all he has done for the world. In short, we are supposed to share the good news of the Lord with all those around us. The name of the Lord needs to be known throughout the world for all time. It is up to us to make that happen. God bless you.
Pastor Josh
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Monday, November 9, 2009
Judges 2: 1-5; The Angel of the Lord at Bokim
Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.
The Israelites know who they are supposed to be following. They know who it was who brought them out of the wilderness and into the Promised Land. They know the commandments they have been given by God. And yet they continue to disobey and do things God does not want them to do. And God asks them a very simple question. Why? Why to they persist in living this way when they know exactly what they are supposed to be doing. As with everything else we are supposed to see ourselves when we look at Israel. We know what God wants us to do, but we don't always do it. We know who blesses us and leads us through life, but we don't always follow Him. Why? God asks us that question. Why? We could all work a little harder at living the kind of life God wants us to live. God wants us to be holy, he wants us to serve him. We could all take a few more steps forward to being the kind of person God wants us to be. God bless you.
Pastor Josh
<><
The Israelites know who they are supposed to be following. They know who it was who brought them out of the wilderness and into the Promised Land. They know the commandments they have been given by God. And yet they continue to disobey and do things God does not want them to do. And God asks them a very simple question. Why? Why to they persist in living this way when they know exactly what they are supposed to be doing. As with everything else we are supposed to see ourselves when we look at Israel. We know what God wants us to do, but we don't always do it. We know who blesses us and leads us through life, but we don't always follow Him. Why? God asks us that question. Why? We could all work a little harder at living the kind of life God wants us to live. God wants us to be holy, he wants us to serve him. We could all take a few more steps forward to being the kind of person God wants us to be. God bless you.
Pastor Josh
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Sunday, November 8, 2009
Judges 1: 1-36; Israel Fights the Remaining Canaanites
Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.
The Lord helps Israel. That much is crystal clear as we read through the Old Testament. Israel faced some pretty tough odds as they were entering the Promised Land. Numerically, and power-wise, Israel should not have been able to defeat the Canaanites, or anyone else for that matter. However, through the power and the love of God the Israelites were able to defeat the Canaanites and enter the land God promised them. God offers help and guidance to those he loves and who love him back. The good news of the Old Testament is that God lends a hand were help is needed for his children. The same is true for us now. God continues to help us as we go through life. The Lord continues to act in our lives, making our lives better, doing for us what we need. Throughout the Old Testament we see example after example of the Lord helping Israel in some way. Throughout our lives we experience example after example of God helping us in some way. God bless you.
Pastor Josh
<><
The Lord helps Israel. That much is crystal clear as we read through the Old Testament. Israel faced some pretty tough odds as they were entering the Promised Land. Numerically, and power-wise, Israel should not have been able to defeat the Canaanites, or anyone else for that matter. However, through the power and the love of God the Israelites were able to defeat the Canaanites and enter the land God promised them. God offers help and guidance to those he loves and who love him back. The good news of the Old Testament is that God lends a hand were help is needed for his children. The same is true for us now. God continues to help us as we go through life. The Lord continues to act in our lives, making our lives better, doing for us what we need. Throughout the Old Testament we see example after example of the Lord helping Israel in some way. Throughout our lives we experience example after example of God helping us in some way. God bless you.
Pastor Josh
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Saturday, November 7, 2009
Matthew 28: 16-20; The Great Commission
Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.
I cannot, and will not, say it any better than Jesus. This is what we are supposed to be doing with our lives: "Go forth and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." God bless you.
Pastor Josh
<><
I cannot, and will not, say it any better than Jesus. This is what we are supposed to be doing with our lives: "Go forth and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." God bless you.
Pastor Josh
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Friday, November 6, 2009
Matthew 28: 11-15; The Guards' Report
Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.
This is where our faith is made. It is possible that the disciples stole the body of Jesus. Maybe they wanted his ministry to continue but felt inadequate to handle it themselves. Maybe they wanted people to think Jesus is still physically alive. Whatever the reason it is possible that something else happened. But our faith tells us something different. Our faith in the risen Lord tells us that his body was not stolen, that the disciples did not go to the wrong tomb, that Jesus really did rise from the grave. Jesus is alive and he continues his ministry to this day. Keep your faith. No matter what the world tells you our Lord is alive and well. God bless you.
Pastor Josh
<><
This is where our faith is made. It is possible that the disciples stole the body of Jesus. Maybe they wanted his ministry to continue but felt inadequate to handle it themselves. Maybe they wanted people to think Jesus is still physically alive. Whatever the reason it is possible that something else happened. But our faith tells us something different. Our faith in the risen Lord tells us that his body was not stolen, that the disciples did not go to the wrong tomb, that Jesus really did rise from the grave. Jesus is alive and he continues his ministry to this day. Keep your faith. No matter what the world tells you our Lord is alive and well. God bless you.
Pastor Josh
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Thursday, November 5, 2009
Announcement from the Personnel Team
Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.
The Personnel Team is very pleased to announce the hiring of Joshua O'Dell to be the church's new Director of Music. Josh brings to the church many talents and gifts and we look forward to the ministry he will share with us. God bless you.
Pastor Josh
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The Personnel Team is very pleased to announce the hiring of Joshua O'Dell to be the church's new Director of Music. Josh brings to the church many talents and gifts and we look forward to the ministry he will share with us. God bless you.
Pastor Josh
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Sunday Scripture and Sermon for November 8, 2009
Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.
The Scripture passage for this morning is from Genesis 1: 20-23, in which God creates the birds of the air and the fish of the sea. The sermon is titled 'The Fifth Day' and will focus on God's power and love, as well as how those characteristics of God are shown throughout the creation story. I hope to see you all on Sunday.
Pastor Josh
<><
The Scripture passage for this morning is from Genesis 1: 20-23, in which God creates the birds of the air and the fish of the sea. The sermon is titled 'The Fifth Day' and will focus on God's power and love, as well as how those characteristics of God are shown throughout the creation story. I hope to see you all on Sunday.
Pastor Josh
<><
Matthew 28: 1-10; The Resurrection
Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.
Because he lives, we also live. Jesus has given us life through his life. Jesus is raised from the grave on Easter morning and through that spectacular event we are given the same life. The grave has no power over us anymore. We are freed from the bonds of death through the resurrection of our Lord. We have life eternal. We will live forever in God's kingdom. This is not a temporary life. It is not a life that is going to wear out in a thousand years or so. We are going to live for all eternity. How amazing are our lives going to be: living for all time in the presence of the creator of the universe. Eternal life is ours. Through Jesus, and his resurrection, we are given the blessing of living forever. God bless you.
Pastor Josh
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Because he lives, we also live. Jesus has given us life through his life. Jesus is raised from the grave on Easter morning and through that spectacular event we are given the same life. The grave has no power over us anymore. We are freed from the bonds of death through the resurrection of our Lord. We have life eternal. We will live forever in God's kingdom. This is not a temporary life. It is not a life that is going to wear out in a thousand years or so. We are going to live for all eternity. How amazing are our lives going to be: living for all time in the presence of the creator of the universe. Eternal life is ours. Through Jesus, and his resurrection, we are given the blessing of living forever. God bless you.
Pastor Josh
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Wednesday, November 4, 2009
Matthew 27: 62-66; The Guard at the Tomb
Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.
The signs have been there, but still Pilate and the rest of the Romans do not believe in Jesus. Here they go so far as to attempt to prevent faith from taking hold. By placing a guard at the tomb they are trying to prevent people from believing in Jesus. It is not just that they do not have faith themselves, it is that they are also trying to keep others from having faith. As we read through this passage we need to remember to not be a stumbling block for others. We are supposed to help each other in our journey of faith, not hinder each other. As we see the Romans place a guard at the tomb to prevent faith we need to remember to not put guards at other people's tombs and so prevent or harm their faith in any way. God bless you.
Pastor Josh
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The signs have been there, but still Pilate and the rest of the Romans do not believe in Jesus. Here they go so far as to attempt to prevent faith from taking hold. By placing a guard at the tomb they are trying to prevent people from believing in Jesus. It is not just that they do not have faith themselves, it is that they are also trying to keep others from having faith. As we read through this passage we need to remember to not be a stumbling block for others. We are supposed to help each other in our journey of faith, not hinder each other. As we see the Romans place a guard at the tomb to prevent faith we need to remember to not put guards at other people's tombs and so prevent or harm their faith in any way. God bless you.
Pastor Josh
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Tuesday, November 3, 2009
Matthew 27: 57-61; The Burial of Jesus
Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.
Jesus is dead for three days. For three days Jesus is in the grave, feeling that pain of separation from God. That is the punishment Jesus took for us. The punishment that awaited us was not being in the presence of the Lord. Jesus endured that punishment as he spent three days in the grave. And what pain and suffering he endured. Imagine, the Son of God being cast out from the presence of God. Imagine the pain Jesus felt during those three days, not being permitted to spend time with his Father in heaven, especially considering all the work he had done. We have been saved from such a fate. We do not have to know what it is like being outside of God's presence. Jesus has saved us from knowing what that feels like. Jesus endured the punishment that would have been ours, the punishment of not being in the Lord's presence. Thanks to Jesus, God is with us always. God bless you.
Pastor Josh
<><
Jesus is dead for three days. For three days Jesus is in the grave, feeling that pain of separation from God. That is the punishment Jesus took for us. The punishment that awaited us was not being in the presence of the Lord. Jesus endured that punishment as he spent three days in the grave. And what pain and suffering he endured. Imagine, the Son of God being cast out from the presence of God. Imagine the pain Jesus felt during those three days, not being permitted to spend time with his Father in heaven, especially considering all the work he had done. We have been saved from such a fate. We do not have to know what it is like being outside of God's presence. Jesus has saved us from knowing what that feels like. Jesus endured the punishment that would have been ours, the punishment of not being in the Lord's presence. Thanks to Jesus, God is with us always. God bless you.
Pastor Josh
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Monday, November 2, 2009
Matthew 27: 45-56; The Death of Jesus
Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.
I have made reference to this before, but one of the great things about the life, ministry, and death of Jesus is the fact that he has been through what we go through. Here, we see Jesus feeling that solitude, feeling like he's been abandoned by God. We sometimes feel that. For many reasons some of us sometimes feel like God is not here with us. When we go through that we have Jesus with us to help us. Jesus knows what it is like to feel abandoned. Jesus can help us through that most difficult time in our lives. Through his experiences, especially through his experiences on the cross, Jesus is able to help us as we go through life, because he has been there, too. And that is just one of the many blessings we have through Jesus' death on the cross. God bless you.
Pastor Josh
<><
I have made reference to this before, but one of the great things about the life, ministry, and death of Jesus is the fact that he has been through what we go through. Here, we see Jesus feeling that solitude, feeling like he's been abandoned by God. We sometimes feel that. For many reasons some of us sometimes feel like God is not here with us. When we go through that we have Jesus with us to help us. Jesus knows what it is like to feel abandoned. Jesus can help us through that most difficult time in our lives. Through his experiences, especially through his experiences on the cross, Jesus is able to help us as we go through life, because he has been there, too. And that is just one of the many blessings we have through Jesus' death on the cross. God bless you.
Pastor Josh
<><
Sunday, November 1, 2009
Matthew 27: 32-44; The Crucifixion
Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.
Jesus does not just physically suffer on the cross, he suffers emotionally as well. As Jesus is hanging there on the cross everyone who comes near him hurls insults at him. Jesus endures so much pain to save us. We should do our best to earn that salvation. Without Jesus we cannot have salvation, but we should live the kind of life, a perfect life, Jesus wants us to live in gratitude for what he has done for us. We see what Jesus has done for us as we read through the passion narrative. As we see that, as we witness what Jesus went through to save our lives, let us live with thanksgiving in our hearts. Let us live according to what Jesus has called us to do. Let us be holy, just as Jesus calls us, in gratitude for what Jesus has done for us. God bless you.
Pastor Josh
<><
Jesus does not just physically suffer on the cross, he suffers emotionally as well. As Jesus is hanging there on the cross everyone who comes near him hurls insults at him. Jesus endures so much pain to save us. We should do our best to earn that salvation. Without Jesus we cannot have salvation, but we should live the kind of life, a perfect life, Jesus wants us to live in gratitude for what he has done for us. We see what Jesus has done for us as we read through the passion narrative. As we see that, as we witness what Jesus went through to save our lives, let us live with thanksgiving in our hearts. Let us live according to what Jesus has called us to do. Let us be holy, just as Jesus calls us, in gratitude for what Jesus has done for us. God bless you.
Pastor Josh
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