Pastor Josh on Vacation

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

I will be on vacation from December 25-December 31. If you need anything while I am away please contact one of the church elders. There will be no posting while I am on vacation. Posting will resume on January 3, 2012. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Proverbs 3: 1-35; Wisdom Bestows Well-Being

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

"Do not envy the violent or choose any of their ways." Advent and Christmas are about peace. Jesus would have us love one another as we love ourselves. We would not kill ourselves. We would not hit ourselves. We would not hate ourselves. In faith there is no place for violence and hatred. There is room only for love. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Proverbs 2: 1-22; Moral Benefits of Wisdom

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

"Wisdom will save you from the ways of wicked men..." In Proverbs 'wisdom' and 'faith' can, in some ways, be used interchangeably. Faith can save us from the ways of wicked men. Faith is what keeps us grounded on what is right. Faith keeps us mindful of what God would have us do. We know what unfaithful people do, because they have no one holding them accountable, because they have no one to please but themselves. Our faith will keep us from falling into that kind of life because our faith keeps us grounded on Christ, who will lead us where we need to be. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Christmas Eve and Christmas Sunday

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

This Saturday we will be having a Christmas Eve worship service at 7:00 p.m. During this service we will hear from the bell and chancel choirs, we will read Scripture, and we will hear the good news of Christ's birth. At the close of the service we will light the church by candles as we sing 'Silent Night, Holy Night' and we will close the worship service by singing 'Joy to the World.' Refreshments will be served following the service. Please join us.

On Christmas Sunday we will once again gather at church to worship. We will worship at 10:00 a.m. The Scripture passage is Matthew 1: 18-25, which tells the story of Christ's birth. The sermon it titled 'Silent Night, Holy Night' and will focus on the good news of Jesus' coming.

I hope everyone is able to make it to both of these services. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Proverbs 1: 20-33; Wisdom's Rebuke

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

In the same way we should teach our children faithfully we also need to listen ourselves. One thing I know for sure is that we never reach a point when our faith is complete, meaning there is always something more to learn. God still speaks, Jesus still teaches. We, adults included, need to open our ears and listen to what is being said to us. In doing so we grow in our relationship with God, which will enable us to better instruct others. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Proverbs 1: 8-19; Warning Against the Invitation of Sinful Men

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

"Listen, my son, to your father’s instruction and do not forsake your mother’s teaching." This says as much about our responsibilities as parents as it does about our children's responsibility to listen. As parents we are to raise our children in faith, with love. We are to teach them what they need to know not just in faith, but in life that they may be intelligent and responsible. If we want the world to do well after we are gone we will do all that we can to make sure the children of this world know how to care for the world, and all that is in it. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Proverbs 1: 1-7; Purpose and Theme

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Proverbs is a book of 'one liners,' brief sayings that serve as instructions for us as we go through life and our journey of faith. It is the 'one liners' that we remember the easiest. They are short and catchy, which makes it easier for them to stick in our minds. As an example, we may not remember all the commandments Jesus gives, but we do remember the words of the Greatest Commandment. So it is with the book of Proverbs. In this book are brief words of wisdom, instruction, warning, etc. all of which are intended to help us in our relationship with God. As we begin this book I invite you to think about some of the things you have already learned: a one or two sentence phrase from a relative, friend, pastor, Jesus, etc. Search your mind and find those things you have been taught. Then use those sayings to increase your faith. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Esther 10: 1-3; The Greatness of Mordecai

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

This book end on a little bit of a sad note. Mordecai has been promoted to 'second to Xerxes,' but we are not told what he does with that position. We know that Moredecai told Esther to keep quiet about her faith, which means he may have done the same thing. Esther is one of only two books in the Bible that do have the word 'God' (Song of Solomon is the other), and I think that says something. Mordecai and Esther end up being figures who do not practice their faith fully. Why? Because they are both in position to share their faith with the world but choose not to do so. There is a time for self-preservation, but not necessarily within our relationship with God. Someday we may be in a place where we can influence other people, when we can share our faith with them. We need to seize that opportunity. We should not shy away from our faith. It is who we are: God's children. Let the whole world know, come what may. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Esther 9: 20-32; Purim Established

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

And so the Jews set aside these days to remember when they were delivered from the hands of the evil Haman. The Jews had other days of remembrance, most notable was Passover, when they remembered being delivered by God from the death of the firstborn and their flight from Egypt. As Christians we have the same types of days: Easter and Christmas. We claim these days as the foundation of our faith, our relationship with God. And on these days we celebrate like there is no tomorrow. But what do we do on the Monday after Easter, and on December 26? Do we continue to celebrate, or do we begin to return to our regularly scheduled programming? The idea behind these days of remembrance is that we are to remember the source of the day every day, not just on that one day on the calendar. As Christians we should celebrate, every day, the good news of Jesus' resurrection. As Christians we should celebrate, every day, the good news of Jesus' birth. Remember, and celebrate, every single day, the good news of Jesus Christ and the countless blessings we have through him. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Esther 8: 15- 9: 19; The Triumph of the Jews

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Forgiveness and mercy are the things that set us apart from other faiths. In this passage we see the Israelites taking their vengeance on their enemies, and we see them do it in a very gruesome way. We are called to forgive, unconditionally, and infinitely, those who sin against us. We are not to take vengeance. Rather, we are to turn the other cheek and show mercy. God has forgiven us for sinning against him. God has, if you will, turned the other cheek to us. Let us do the same. Let us follow our calling to not take vengeance. God bless you.

Pastor Josh

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Esther 8: 1-14; The King's Edict in Behalf of the Jews

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

All things work for good for those who love God. Words that are so simple, and yet teach us all we need to know about how God works. The Jews love the Lord, and because of that God looks after them. They are blessed because of their faith in God, and because of God's faith in them. The same is true of us. If we remain faithful to God; if we show our love for God at ever opportunity, then God will take care of us in the same way he takes care of the Israelites throughout the Old Testament. God bless you.

Pastor Josh

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Esther 7: 1-10; Haman Impaled

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

God's justice be done. Haman did nothing but sow deceit and try to bring harm to Mordecai and Esther. Haman plotted and schemed, but in the end all of that brought him to his own destruction. In that there is a lesson: for those who have sinned against us, let God deal with them as he may. It is not up to us to be judge, jury, or executioner. Instead, we are to trust in the power, love, and justice of God to prevail over our enemies. God bless you.

Pastor Josh

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Sunday, December 18, 2011

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

This Sunday the message will be brought to us by the choir. They will be performing a concert for us during the worship service. Please join us for this special worship service. God bless you.

Pastor Josh

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Esther 6: 1-14; Mordecai Honored

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Good deeds are often rewarded, and the same is true of faith. However, it is not our good deeds that are rewarded, but our faith. Good deeds will not move us closer to the front of the line in heaven. Rather, our faith, our belief in Jesus as personal Lord and savior is what saves us. So it is not our good deeds that are rewarded, but our faith in Jesus. And our reward for that faith is a place in God's kingdom. Just as Mordecai was rewarded for his deeds, we will be rewarded for our faith. God bless you.

Pastor Josh

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Esther 5: 9-14; Haman’s Rage Against Mordecai

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Haman provides lip service, meaning that he says all the right things, but his heart is in another place. He does not care about Esther, or Xerxes. He cares only for himself. Many Christians today are guilty of 'lip service.' They worship on Sunday mornings, and they claim to be a faithful person, but do very little to show their love for, or service to, God. We need to be very careful to avoid this kind of lifestyle. In some ways it is easy to get there. Salvation is a wonderful thing, but it can make us lazy. Why be good if we're saved, we might find ourselves saying. And laziness is one step away from lip service. We get to apathetic to faith and God that we stop living the kind of life God wants us to live. 'Be perfect, as your father in heaven is perfect.' Jesus gives us those words and expects us to follow them at all times. Work hard, then, on your faith. Show God your love and serve him, always, as best you can. God bless you.

Pastor Josh

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Esther 5: 1-8; Esther’s Request to the King

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Sometimes, when dealing with those who sin against us a more indirect approach is necessary. Simply confronting someone with an accusation is not always a good idea. It puts people on the defensive. One of the most important things to do is make sure the person knows they are still loved by you and by God. To get someone away from sin you must use grace; the same kind of grace God used with us to remove sin as a barrier to our relationship with him. Grace is just about the best way to do anything, and this is especially true of moving someone away from sin. God bless you.

Pastor Josh

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Esther 4: 1-17; Mordecai Persuades Esther to Help

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Esther does everything in her power to help her fellow Jews here, even though it is a great risk to herself. She embodies the command set forth in Scripture to place others first. Esther, then, is an example for all of us to follow, in that she put her own well-being at risk to help those who were in need. Our concerns are secondary. The needs of our neighbor supersede any that we might have ourselves. Jesus tells us 'the last shall be first, and the first shall be last.' Let us all strive to make that a reality by putting the concerns of others above our own. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Esther 3: 1-15; Haman's Plot to Destroy the Jews

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Jesus tells us that we are to be reconciled to our brother before we come to God in prayer. Granted, Haman has not intentions of praying, but how much simpler would everything have been had he only gone to Mordecai to see what the problem was and what, if anything, could be done to work it out. Instead, though, the problem escalates into a near massacre, all because two people could not talk to each other. Being reconciled to each other is an important thing. If there is a problem we need to resolve it. If we an issue with someone then we need to talk about and find a solution. If we don't we might find ourselves in a situation like Haman and Mordecai, a situation that is out of control. God bless you.

Pastor Josh

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Esther 2: 19-23; Mordecai Uncovers a Conspiracy

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Like King Xerxes we all sometimes find ourselves on the receiving end of hatred and evil plans. We have enemies, as Christians. There are people who do not like us because of our faith, and there are people who do not like because they don't like anyone. Regardless of the circumstances the fact remains that there are people in the world who, for one reason or another, want to do us harm. The first thing we can do in that type of situation is turn it over to God and trust that he will take care of those who would wish to hurt us. This is not a guarantee, though. Then comes the second thing: to remember that there is nothing anyone can do to hurt our soul. That has been claimed by God. They may use words, they may even use weapons, but they cannot hurt the part of us that God has claimed for himself. God bless you.

Pastor Josh

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Annual Christmas Party

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

This Saturday, December 10, 2011 we will be having our annual church Christmas Party. We will get started with an Italian pot-luck dinner, which will begin at 5:00 in the Fellowship Hall. Following that we will move to the chapel where we will sing Christmas Carols, hear a message (through a humorous skit), and have a special visitor for the children. I hope you can join us for this event. God bless you.

Pastor Josh

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Esther 2: 1-18; Esther Made Queen

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Poor Esther. Yes, she gets to become a Queen, but at what cost. She is, essentially, a slave, forced to do a King's bidding no matter what it may mean to her. Can you imagine living that kind of life? It is too simple a thing to call that a difficult life. And yet, through all of that Esther perseveres. She does not publicly declare her faith, but she does move forward with her life. She does not let her hardships in life keep her from living life. On our journey of faith we find ourselves in difficult, sometimes seemingly impossible, situations. These make us question our faith, and our resolve. Jesus never promises an easy journey. What he does promise, though, is that he will be with us every step of the way. What he does promise us is that if we persevere and do not give up we will be blessed beyond all imagination. Keep moving forward, come what may. God bless you.

Pastor Josh

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Sunday Scripture and Sermon for December 11, 2011

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

The Old Testament Lesson for Sunday is from Isaiah 61, in which Isaiah gives the good news in regards to the work of the Messiah. The New Testament lesson is from John 1 in which John the Baptist gives some testimony in regards to Jesus, the Messiah to whom Isaiah referred. The sermon is titled 'Joy' and will focus on the joy we have through Jesus. I hope you are all able to make it to worship. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Esther 1: 1-22; Queen Vashti Deposed

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Of course, we never get a reason from Queen Vashti as to why she does not come when Xerxes summons her. We are left to assume then that Xerxes said or did something Queen Vashti did not like. With that in mind we can look at Queen Vashti in a fairly positive light. She stood up for what she believed in, even though she knew the consequences would be most severe. So it is with our faith. These days wearing your faith on your sleeve is a way to attract a little bit of trouble. Does that mean we stop doing it? No. It means we do it more boldly. We should stand up for our faith, we should continually share the good news of Jesus with those around us. No matter what. God bless you.

Pastor Josh

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Hebrews 13: 20-25; Benediction and Final Greetings

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

"Now may the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen." We have been equipped for all God has called us to do. By the blood of Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit we have all the strength we need for our faith. What we need to continually do is pray and ask for God's guidance. We need direction to match the strength we already have. Pray, therefore, and God will point you in the right direction. God bless you.

Pastor Josh

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Hebrews 13: 1-19; Concluding Exhortations

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

I usually end up going with the first verse, or couple of lines, of the passage for the lesson, and I do it again here. 'Keep on loving one another as brothers and sisters.' Think of how you love your siblings, if you have any. And think of how they love you. Now, take that feeling of love and transfer it to anyone else: your friend, your neighbor, your co-worker, your tennis partner, your enemy, etc. Take that feeling and love that person with all you have to give. In this way you live out the second greatest commandment, you honor and glorify God, and you make the world a better, more faithful, place. God bless you.

Pastor Josh

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Hebrews 12: 18-29; The Mountain of Fear and the Mountain of Joy

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

'See to it that you do not refuse him who speaks.' God is still speaking. Perhaps God does not speak through as many burning bushes as he used to, but he is still speaking to all of us none the less. Our call is to hear. We need to open our ears to hear what God is saying to us. This comes through prayer. Prayer is not just a time when we speak to God. Prayer is also a time when God speaks back to us. We simply need to quiet our voices and spirits and listen, then we will hear God's voice. And the words we will hear will be glorious. God bless you.

Pastor Josh

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Hebrews 12: 14-17; Warning and Encouragement

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

'See to it...' The idea behind this is that we are supposed to help each other in faith. Faith is not easy. Being obedient is not easy. Moving forward is not easy. That is why God has given us each other. We are supposed to give each other encouragement. We are to hold each other accountable for sin. God has called us all to a life of faith, and with that in mind we are to help each other in faith. 'See to it...we all remain faithful to God.' God bless you.

Pastor Josh

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Hebrews 12: 4-13; God Disciples His Children

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

What this really means is that God is still very much active in the world, and in our lives. He has not left us, he has not abandoned us. Is it always pleasant when God teaches us something? No, but the good news we have a God who loves us enough to be involved in our lives. We follow a God who loves us enough to help us, sometimes by correction, as we go through life. Discipline is hard, but the good news is that God is here, in our lives, to discipline us in the first place. God bless you.

Pastor Josh

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Hebrews 11: 1- 12: 3; Faith in Action

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

This chapter (plus a little more) is like a 'who's who' of the Bible. We get glimpse after glimpse of hero after hero from the Bible. One of the greatest things about Scripture is the people inside it. They stand out even now, thousands of years later, as witnesses to the power and love of God. But they also stand out for their faith. We are to imitate Jesus, but there are some other folks in Scripture we could take a lesson from as well: Noah, Abraham, and Moses, just to name a few. Read about these people, and learn from them lessons in faith. God bless you.

Pastor Josh

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Sunday Scripture and Sermon for December 4, 2011

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

The Old Testament lesson for this Sunday comes from Isaiah 40: 1-11, in which God promises to send someone to prepare the way of the Lord. The New Testament lesson is from Mark 1: 1-8 in which John the Baptist begins his ministry. The sermon is titled 'Peace' and will focus on the peace God brings to our lives. I hope to see you all on Sunday. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Hebrews 10: 19-39; A Call to Persevere in Faith

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

The journey of faith is long and hard. We suffer as we go through life. Sometimes due to persecution. Sometimes due to the natural lives we live. And sometimes suffering comes because God asks us to do something very difficult. Whatever the source of the hardships there is no doubt there are many. They abound, truly. What we need, sometimes more than anything else, is perseverance. We need that strength and endurance to continue to move forward. How do we get it? By remaining close to God, spending time with him every day. In so doing we get the strength we need, which will help us to persevere. God bless you.

Pastor Josh

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Hebrews 10: 1-18; Christ’s Sacrifice Once for All

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

"I have come to do your will, my God." Jesus was, and still is, perfectly obedient to the will of God. Jesus went to the cross, even though he did not want to (Father, let this cup pass from me). I died on the cross to forgive the world of sin because that is what God wanted him to do. No matter how hard it was Jesus went to the cross, in obedience to God. In all things we are to model our lives after Jesus. We are to follow his example and imitate him. Specifically, we are to model Jesus' obedience to God. We are called to follow God, to do his will, regardless of what that means for us in our own lives. Jesus came to do God's will. We are called to do the same. God bless you.

Pastor Josh

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Hebrews 9: 11-28; The Blood of Christ

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

'...so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many...' Jesus died on the cross for our sins. He died so we wouldn't have to die; he was punished so we wouldn't have to be. The only way for us to avoid punishment and receive salvation is to accept Jesus as personal Lord and Savior. Jesus has done everything for us. All we need to do is first get on, and second stay on, the path Jesus has laid out for us: the path of faith, which leads to salvation and eternal life. God bless you.

Pastor Josh

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Hebrews 9:1-10; Worship in the Earthly Tabernacle

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

For the Israelites in the Old Testament it was the Ark of the Covenant, for Christians it is the communion table. The point is this: a big part of worship is looking back to see what God has done for us in the past. This should not be limited to worship. God has done a lot for the world, but he has also done a lot for each of us as individuals. We need to take time to look back and see what God has done for us. Once we have done that, go and worship God. God bless you.

Pastor Josh

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Hebrews 8: 1-13; The High Priest of a New Covenant

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

There is a New Covenant with Jesus, a New Testament. In the Old Covenant there was the Levitical Law, circumcision, animal sacrifice, and all of these things were done as a way to 'get good' with God. But when Jesus comes he makes a New Covenant, a covenant in which he is the only sacrifice. A covenant in which we are forgiven from sin and are freed from the Law. A covenant in which our faith in Jesus is what sets us apart. This New Covenant is sealed in the blood of Jesus. And this New Covenant is a lot better than the old one. God bless you.

Pastor Josh

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Hebrews 7: 11-28; Jesus Like Melchizedek

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

"Such a high priest truly meets our need—one who is holy, blameless, pure, set apart from sinners, exalted above the heavens." Jesus is perfect, which means we do not have to be. Part of the idea behind the law is that the Israelites were supposed to be perfect. Well, their sin got in the way and prevented them from being able to do that. Then Jesus comes along and lives every letter of the Law. He follows all the commandments, including the one about loving God more than anything else. What this means for us is that Jesus us the fulfillment of the Law. Jesus lived the Law perfectly, which means we do not have to. This means we are freed from those rigid commands. This means we are free to live a life in God's grace. God bless you.

Pastor Josh

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Hebrews 7: 1-10; Melchizedek the Priest

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Melchizedek serves as an object lesson for us. Here is a man we know next to nothing about. He meets Abraham on the road, and just like that Abraham gives Melchizedek a tenth of the plunder. We are given no other information about Melchizedek, but given the fact that he was given so much we can safely assume he did something to deserve it. We, on the other hand, have done nothing to deserve the salvation God gives, and yet we have been given complete salvation. God did not say, 'I forgive you for one tenth of your sins.' What would that even look like? No, God has erased all of our sins. Even when we did nothing, nor would do anything in the future, God gave us everything. God bless you.

Pastor Josh

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Hebrews 6: 13-20; The Certainty of God’s Promise

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

When God makes a promise we can know beyond the shadow of any doubt that it is going to come true. We make promises to each other. We try to keep all of them; but every once in a while we don't come through. Something gets in the way: traffic, work, forgetfulness, money (or lack thereof), etc. We should not beat ourselves up over this. We are just human after all. That being said, God keeps all of his promises to a 't.' We can count on it. When God tells us he will do something we can believe it. That is our hope; that is our comfort. God's promises are sure and true. God bless you.

Pastor Josh

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Sunday Scripture and Sermon for November 27, 2011

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

The Old Testament lesson for this Sunday is from Isaiah 64: 1-9 in which the Israelites are given a prophecy of the coming Messiah. The New Testament lesson is from Mark 13: 24-37 in which Jesus shares with his disciples that he will come again. The sermon is titled 'Hope' and will focus on the hope we have of the coming one.

This is the first Sunday of Advent, the season in which we prepare for the coming of the Christ-child. We are having Hanging of the Greens this Sunday. We will start with a pot-luck breakfast at 9:00 a.m. and then will spend the rest of the morning leading up to worship decorating the church for Advent. Please join us for this special event. God bless you.

Pastor Josh

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Hebrews 5: 11- 6 12; Warning Against Falling Away

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

When I was in High School and College I ran cross country. The races were, of course, difficult, but nothing was more difficult than the practices. Why? Because we ran double, and sometimes more, the distance we had to run in the race; usually about 10 miles. That is a long way to run, and there isn't an easy way to do. Through the run the temptation is there to simply stop running, to give up. But I knew it would make me better for the races, so I kept going. So it is with faith. Faith is like a long distance run. We run very far, and we run for a very long time. Along the way things happen that make us want to stop moving, to give up. We must press on, though. We must continue to run, to move forward. We cannot fall away, or things will get worse for us. We'll lose Jesus. Keep running. God bless you.

Pastor Josh

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Hebrews 4: 14- 5: 10; Jesus the Great High Priest

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Jesus is the great High Priest. The job of the Jewish High Priest, in Jesus' time, was to intercede on behalf of the people. His job was to make a sacrifice and say prayers that would 'square' the Israelites with God. Jesus does that for us. He prays for us (see John 17), and, of course, he made a sacrifice on our behalf. Jesus is our Great High Priest. He sees to it that we are freed from sin; he sees to it that we are right with God. God bless you.

Pastor Josh

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Hebrews 4: 1-13; A Sabbath-Rest for the People of God

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Rest. We all need it, but rarely seem to get it. All of us are invited, though, to rest in God's presence. We are encouraged to come before God's throne of grace and lay our burdens at his feet. In doing so we take the rest that God offers. We are able to rest because God is going to take care of our problems for a time; he is going to carry our burdens so we don't have to. We all need rest at one time or another. When you do, make sure you accept the invitation from the Lord and take the rest you need in your life. Let God bear your burden. God bless you.

Pastor Josh

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Hebrews 3: 7-19; Warning Against Unbelief

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Believe in Jesus. We have all the reasons we need to take that step. Jesus has done everything for us. He has filled every true need we could ever have. Like the disciples, let us get out of the boat and follow him. And for those of us that have, let us daily renew our faith, our belief in Jesus as the Christ, the Son of the Living God. God bless you.

Pastor Josh

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Hebrews 3: 1-6; Jesus Greater than Moses

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Let's think for a moment about Moses' ministry. He delivered the Israelites from bondage in Egypt. He led the Israelites through the wilderness to the Promised Land. Granted, Moses did many more things than that, but those are the highlights. Jesus delivered the world from bondage to sin, freeing all of us to live a life of holiness. Jesus has also led us through the wilderness to our own Promised Land, the Kingdom of Heaven. Jesus has done an awful lot for us. Let us praise him for those works. God bless you.

Pastor Josh

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Hebrews 2: 5-18; Jesus Made Fully Human

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

What does it mean to say that Jesus was fully human in his time here on earth? It means that Jesus experienced everything humanity has to offer. What this really means is that Jesus can help us in our lives. Jesus, who has been through everything we have, can guide us and give us strength in the 'human times' in our lives. Jesus can say to us 'I know how you feel,' because he does know how we feel, because he has felt what we felt. Jesus being human means we have a Lord on our side who has gone through what we go through. This give us a Lord who can truly help us as we go through life. God bless you.

Pastor Josh

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Sunday Scripture and Sermon for November 20, 2011

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

The Scripture passage for this Sunday is from Luke 17: 11-19, in which Jesus heals ten lepers. The sermon is titled 'Attitude of Gratitude' and will focus on our need to be thankful for all God has done for us. I hope to see you all in worship on Sunday. God bless you.

Pastor Josh

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Hebrews 2: 1-4; Warning to Pay Attention

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

It is so easy to get distracted. We often chastise our children for not paying attention to us when we are speaking to them, but then, as Christians, as God's children, we sometimes are guilty of the same thing. There we are following Jesus and everything is going quite well until something shiny comes along. This shiny thing, whatever it is, pulls us away from Jesus. We need to be strong, we need to be focused, to keep our eyes fixed on Jesus so that we do not get distracted, so that we do not get pulled away from him. When something shiny comes along, ignore it, and look all the more intently at Jesus. God bless you.

Pastor Josh

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Hebrews 1: 5-14; The Son Superior to Angels

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

"Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?" Angels are real, and they come to us all. Perhaps not in white robes with wings on their backs, but God sets people in our path to teach us, encourage us, lift us up, etc. I have had several in my own life, and even though now some of them are gone their ministry to me continues. I invite you this day to think about the angels God has sent into your life. Think about them, and remember what they brought to your life. Then give thanks to God for sending an angel your way. God bless you.

Pastor Josh

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Hebrews 1: 1-4; God's Final Word: His Son

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

God never gives up. In the Old Testament we see God do many things to try and get the attention of the Israelites: He delivers them from Egypt; He leads them to the Promised Land; He calls prophet after prophet to try and get them back on track. And when none of those things really worked, which is evidenced by the fact that Israel continued to lose their way, God sent Jesus, his one and only Son into the world to save the world. God could have given up on the world, he could have given up on the Israelites. God could have chosen to wash his hands of the whole thing. But he didn't. Instead, God sends Jesus. God never stops working for us. God bless you.

Pastor Josh

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Isaiah 65: 17-25; New Heavens and a New Earth

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Something new is coming. God is going to make, and give us, a new heaven and a new earth. We may not know all of the details, but one thing we can know for sure is that these places are going to be places of perfect peace and joy. That sounds like the kind of place I want to live. And it certainly points to the power and love of God. He loves us enough to create something new for us. Someday we will all be joined in that place. And what a wonderful day that will be be. God bless you.

Pastor Josh

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Isaiah 65: 1-16; Judgment and Salvation

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

The point of this passage is simple: those who believe in God will be blessed, and those who do not will not be blessed. This means we have a choice. We have a decision as to whether or not we will believe in, and follow God. We know what will happen if we serve the Lord. We know that road leads to heaven. And we know what will happen if we choose the other path. Choose for yourself this day whom you will serve. We are called to make that decision. What will yours be? As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. God bless you.

Pastor Josh

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Isaiah 63: 7- 64: 12; Praise and Prayer

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Praise and prayer are really the backbones of our relationship with God. It's simply polite to say thank you when someone gives you something. And when good manners are used a relationship stays solid, because the one who does the kind thing feels appreciated and more inclined to do more kind things. So, when we praise God we are really saying 'thank you.' God will hear that, be appreciative and continue to bless us, most of all with his presence. In prayer we talk to God. We allow God to get to know us, and we get to know God, for God speaks back to us in prayer, if only we listen. If you seek to grow in your relationship with God practice prayer and praise daily. God bless you.

Pastor Josh

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Isaiah 63: 1-6; God’s Day of Vengeance and Redemption

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

'...mighty to save...' God is power, and God is love. And both of those attributes mean for us that God is strong to save us. He has the power to do it, and he has the love for us to want us to have salvation. We do not follow a weak God who is not able to do anything. We follow a God who created all we see around us. We follow a God who has power to save us from sin and the forces of evil. Our God is mighty to save. God bless you.

Pastor Josh

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Sunday Scripture and Sermon for November 13, 2011

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

The Scripture passage for this Sunday is from Matthew 25: 14-30, in which Jesus gives the parable of the bags of gold. The sermon is titled 'Survivor Man' and will focus on our need to recognize our gifts for ministry, and to use them. I hope to see you all on Sunday morning. God bless you.

Pastor Josh

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Isaiah 62: 1-12; Zion’s New Name

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

"You will be a crown of splendor in the LORD’s hand, a royal diadem in the hand of your God." We are precious to God. We are not random people that do not mean anything to God. We are worth more than the most precious of jewels, the most beautiful of stones. For anyone who feels less than worthy, less than loved, read these words and know God loves you. God loves you so much he gave up his one and only son to save you. God bless you.

Pastor Josh

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Isaiah 61: 1-11; The Year of the LORD’s Favor

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

If you read those first three verses very carefully you should notice that Jesus managed to accomplish all those things in his ministry. Jesus was very busy throughout his ministry, but more than that he was very caring and compassionate. Jesus loved every person he met and so wanted to help them in any way he could. In all things Jesus is a model for us. We are to imitate Jesus in our faith, but also in how we live out our faith. We should imitate Jesus' compassion and commitment to ministry, to helping people. The first three verses of this passage should speak not only about Jesus, but about us as well, his disciples. We should do all the things that are talked about in this passage. In short, we should imitate Jesus' ministry. God bless you.

Pastor Josh

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Isaiah 60: 1-22; The Glory of Zion

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Even in the darkest of times there is light. What is that light? It is the light of Christ, shining in all of our hearts to ward off the darkness; to send away the powers of evil and despair. Jesus shines, and he shines in all of us. When we find ourselves in life's darkest valleys we have the good shepherd with us, and he will continue to guide us with his light. What we need to do is open our eyes. We need to look and see the light that Jesus shines and move towards it. We need to see the light of Christ and follow that light which will lead us out of darkness. 'Arise! Shine! For your light has come.' See and follow the light of Christ. It will lead you out of darkness. God bless you.

Pastor Josh

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Isaiah 59: 1-21; Sin, Confession and Redemption

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

All three of these things are part of the journey of faith. First we sin. This is not meant to make anyone beat themselves up. We do not need to go around shouting 'woe is me.' It is just to say that all sin and fall short of the glory of God. In response to that sin, though, we need to confess. We need to come before God in prayer and confess what we have done. In so doing we humble ourselves before the Lord and recognize our own shortcomings. But then comes the best part: redemption. We are saved from sin even before we commit the sin. We are given God's grace, we are blessed with the cross. By the sacrifice of Jesus we have been saved from sin. Praise be to God that we have redemption to overcome the sin in our lives. God bless you.

Pastor Josh

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Isaiah 58: 1-14; True Fasting

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

'Shout it aloud, do not hold back.' That is the mentality we should have when it comes to expressing our faith. We should hold nothing back. Our love for the Lord should be so great that we cannot keep quiet about it. That is a form of true worship: to tell the world about the love of God and the salvation he brings to the world. Shout it aloud, do not hold back! God bless you.

Pastor Josh

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Isaiah 57: 14-21; Comfort for the Contrite

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

There is comfort for those who follow God. It comes in a variety of ways, and we have all experienced it at one time or another. God comforts those who come to him. He does so because he loves us, because it breaks God's heart to see his children in such pain and turmoil. And so God comes to us in our times of need. He comes to give us the comfort, the hope, that we all need as we go through life. Allow God to comfort you. Do not try to do things by yourself. Rather, accept the love and care God is more than willing to give, and allow those things to help you through whatever trial you are in. God bless you.

Pastor Josh

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Isaiah 56: 9- 57: 13; God’s Accusation Against the Wicked

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

And so is a life without a relationship with God. I don't much care for this description. What I mean is I will not be signing up for anything like this anytime soon. We all know what a life with God is like, and we know what a life without God is like. In our scripture passage for this Sunday's worship service is the verse, 'Choose for yourself this day whom you will serve, but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.' I love that verse, and I think it is very appropriate for this passage as well. Choose God, or the world. We know where both roads lead. We need to make the right choice. God bless you.

Pastor Josh

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Sunday Scripture and Sermon for November 6, 2011

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

The Scripture passage for this Sunday comes from Matthew 25: 1-13, in which Jesus gives the parable of the 10 Bridesmaids. The sermon is titled 'Fair Weather Faith' and will focus on our need, our call, to be in faith for the long haul. I hope to see you all on Sunday. God bless you.

Pastor Josh

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Isaiah 56: 1-8; Salvation for Others

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

"Salvation is close at hand." Jesus very close to all of us. Of course, Jesus has already been here and made his salvation available to the world. But that does not mean Jesus' work is finished, and it does not mean he is far away. Jesus is here, right next to us, every step of our journey of faith. Salvation is close at hand, Isaiah says. It might as well say 'Jesus is close at hand,' not just as a source of salvation, but as a source of comfort and hope as well. Extend your hand and Jesus' and he will bless your life. God bless you.

Pastor Josh

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Isaiah 55: 1-13; Invitation to the Thirsty

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Before we come to Jesus we are empty inside. We are not sure what it is, but we know there is something missing inside of us. There is a hole in us that cannot seem to be filled by anything, or anyone, else. And then we come to Jesus and he gives us water, water that truly satisfies. We come to Jesus and he gives us food, food that truly fills. We come to Jesus and we get everything we need, everything we have always been missing in our lives. This is also true for those of us who already believe. As we walk on our journey of faith we get tired, we get thirsty, we get hungry. And when we do we can come to Jesus and receive all the nourishment we need; we get the water, and the food we need to keep moving forward on our journey of faith. Come to Jesus all you who are tired, thirsty, and hungry and Jesus will fill that need beyond anything you could ever imagine. God bless you.

Pastor Josh

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Isaiah 54: 1-17; The Future Glory of Zion

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

It is not escapism to have hope for tomorrow. There are those who say that having hope is simply an act of not living this life. I say that to have hope is to have great faith in God. For in hoping that things will turn around is to believe wholeheartedly in the power and love of God. God create the world and has power of it. And someday God will redeem the world in such a way that there will be no suffering. This is not escapism. This is faith. Faith in the power and love of God. God, who is love and loves us, and who has power over the world will one day deliver us from our suffering. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Isaiah 52: 13- 53: 12; The Suffering and Glory of the Servant

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

There are so many things to pull out of this passage which explains in such great detail the person and work of Jesus. The one that has always been so significant to me is 'by his wounds we are healed.' I like that because of the positive connotations behind. Jesus healed us, he made us whole, he restored us to proper relationship with God. Jesus covered us with his love and secured a place for us. He healed us from the sins we have committed and the damage those sins caused us. Now we are free. We are free to have a relationship with God. We are free to live in God's grace. We are free to be God's children. By his wounds we are healed. By his wounds we have everything. God bless you.

Pastor Josh

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Isaiah 51: 17- 52: 12; The Cup of the LORD’s Wrath

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

As God's children we should work very hard to not make God mad. Granted, our salvation is secure, but that does not mean we do not have to please God. We should live a life of holiness in gratitude for what God has done for us. God will not revoke our salvation, but we should still live every second of our lives for his glory. God bless you.

Pastor Josh

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Isaiah 51: 1-16; Everlasting Salvation for Zion

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

One of the great things about the salvation that comes through Jesus is that it is not going anywhere. There is no sin we can commit that will take away from the salvation Jesus brings to all of us. We have eternal salvation. We do not need to worry about losing it; we do not need to worry about it wearing out. No, we can rest, for eternity, knowing we are saved by the blood of the lamb. God bless you.

Pastor Josh

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Isaiah 50: 1-11; Israel’s Sin and the Servant’s Obedience

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Jesus seems far away sometimes. Not in terms of his physical location, but in terms of his holiness. Jesus is so holy it seems we will never be able to attain that. There is a disparity between how we live our lives and how Jesus lived his. But there is hope. The divide that stands between our holiness and Jesus' has been bridged by the cross. Through the power of the cross we have the ability to be holy and perfect, to be faithful, to be the people God would have us be. There is no more divide. We can live like Jesus. We can be perfectly obedient to God's will through Jesus Christ our Lord. God bless you.

Pastor Josh

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Sunday Scripture and Sermon for October 30, 2011

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

The Scripture passage for this Sunday comes form Joshua 3: 7-17, in which Joshua and the Israelites cross over the Jordan River, which has been stopped, into the Promised Land. The sermon is titled 'Children of God' and will look at how the Israelites were blessed to be named Children of God, and how we receive those same blessings as well. I hope to see you in church on Sunday. God bless you.

Pastor Josh

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Isaiah 49: 8-26; Restoration of Israel

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

The hope of things to come can do a lot for someone, or, in this case, a group of people. Israel is on the outside looking in, literally. They are out of the Promised Land, but they receive the promise here that God will restore them to their former glory. They receive the promise that God will restore them to the Promised Land, that they will once again be his people. That hope got Israel through some very difficult times. They struggled being away from God. The Israelites found themselves in the deepest pit of despair. And yet when they hear these words they are lifted up beyond all measure. The same is true for us. We sometimes find ourselves in dark times. And when that happens we need a word of hope, we need to reminded of God's love and power. And when (yes, when!) God reminds us of that we have hope: hope that things will get better. God bless you.

Pastor Josh

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Isaiah 49: 1-7; The Servant of the Lord

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

We are all servants of God. In the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) we believe in the Ministry of All Believers, which means we are all called to continue the ministry of Jesus Christ: to heal the sick and comfort the suffering, and to share the good news of Jesus with those around us. Like Isaiah we have all been called by God into faith and into service. Let us take up that call; let us go forth and do the work God has given us through Jesus. Let us, as God's Children, and Christ's disciples, serve the Lord with all we have to give. God bless you.

Pastor Josh

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Isaiah 48: 12-22; Israel Freed

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

"The Lord has redeemed his servant Jacob." Israel is going to return to the Promised Land. They had been Exiled do to their own sin and now they are going to be freed from the Babylonians, returned the Land God had set aside for them. And with that promise from God comes relief and joy. Israel is going to be forgiven. We can, and should, feel that same sense of relief. We have been saved, just like Israel. Granted, we were never Exiled from the Promised Land, but we were faced with separation from God due to sin; we were faced with not being allowed to enter God's kingdom. We do not have to face those things anymore. Now, through Jesus, we have been saved from sin. We have been redeemed by the blood of the Lamb. Like Israel did when the re-entered the Promised Land, we can breath a sigh of relief and then rejoice for the salvation that has been granted to us in Jesus. God bless you.

Pastor Josh

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Isaiah 48: 1-11; Stubborn Israel

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

'From now on I will tell you of new things...' God continues to reveal himself to the Israelites in many new and unique ways. Rather than hide God tells the Israelites who he is and what he can do. This is not a blessing given to the Israelites of the Bible, it is a blessing that is given to us as well. Through Scripture, prayer, song, and other acts of faith God continues to tell us new things. He continues to reveal himself to us. God does this because he loves us, because he wants to have a relationship with us. God wants to know us, and he wants us to know him. In other words, God continues to tell us new things because he wants to have a relationship with us. What a blessing; what a joy. The God who made everything around us wants to have a deep, personal relationship with us. Hear the new things God is telling you this day. God bless you.

Pastor Josh

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Isaiah 47: 1-15; The Fall of Babylon

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

In the midst of all this 'gloom and doom' prophecy for Israel there is some hope: Babylon will fall. They are merely being used as a tool to teach the Israelites a lesson. The Babylonians, however, will not have the final victory. They will fall, for God, the Holy one of Israel is the one who will have the final victory. We can have that same hope. The Biblical Babylonians are not around anymore, but there are other forces of evil at work in the world. While they wage war against, and around us, we can have hope in knowing God will have victory over them. We can know God will have the final word. God bless you.

Pastor Josh

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Isaiah 46: 1-13; Gods of Babylon

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

'I am God, there is no other; I am God, there is none like me.' These are words we should repeat to ourselves each and every day. There is no one like our God; there is nothing like our God. Whatever else comes into our lives; whatever else we make for ourselves, there is no one, there is no thing, like our God. God bless you.

Pastor Josh

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Isaiah 44: 24- 45: 25; Jerusalem to be Inhabited

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

And in this passage we hear about the fallout from Israel's idol worship. Israel's relationship with God suffered because of idol worship, and in this passage we learn that Jerusalem is going to be inhabited. The Promised Land is going to be taken away from the Israelites. God disciplines. He disciples his children when they go astray. God punished the Israelites for their lack of faith. Might the same happen to us if we follow a path outside of God's grace? God bless you.

Pastor Josh

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Fellowship Night: October 22, 2011

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

This Saturday, October 22, 2011 we will be having a Fellowship event at Mt. Lebanon Christian Church. We will begin with a pot-luck dinner at 5:30 p.m. After dinner we will have a few moments of praise and worship which will be followed by a presentation on Pastor Josh's mission trip to Ghana. We will then close with a few more moments of Praise and Worship. I hope you are all able to attend this even with us. God bless you.

Pastor Josh

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Sunday Scripture and Sermon for October 23, 2011

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

The Scripture passage for this Sunday comes from Psalm 90: 1-6, 13-17 in which the redemptive power of God is proclaimed. The sermon is titled 'Redemption' and will focus on the power God has to redeem. I hope to see you all in church on Sunday. God bless you.

Pastor Josh

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Isaiah 44: 6-23; The Lord, Not Idols

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Idol worship was a problem for Israel. It began at Mt. Sinai, mere minutes after God delivered them from the hands of the Egyptians. It continued throughout the rest of the Bible. Time and again Israel would fall into idol worship, turning their back on God, forgetting all God has done. Israel suffered greatly for this, and a lot of it came by their own hands. Do we worship idols? Sure we do: computers, televisions, money, cars, jobs, sports teams, clothes, and the list goes on and on. We need to learn from Israel's mistakes: nothing, absolutely nothing, can replace God. Furthermore, idols only lead to trouble. So let us all be faithful in avoiding idol worship at all costs. God bless you.

Pastor Josh

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Isaiah 44: 1-5; Israel the Chosen

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

God has chosen you. Let that sink in for just a moment. God, the creator of all that is has called you to a life of faith. He has called you to serve him. What an honor; what a blessing. We are God's chosen people now because we have accepted Jesus as personal Lord and Savior. We get to know God, and have a relationship with him. We get to be the hands and feet and voice of God in the world today. What an honor. What a blessing. We have been called by God; we have been chosen by God. Rejoice in that good news. God bless you.

Pastor Josh

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Isaiah 43: 14-28; God’s Mercy and Israel’s Unfaithfulness

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

There is always a disparity between the actions of God and the actions of the world. We know what God has done for Israel. He delivered them from the Egyptians, led them to the Promised Land, gave them everything they would ever need. Israel, though, has, on several occasions, turned their backs on God. They made a golden calf, secured alliances with other nations (thereby showing their distrust in God, and binding themselves to sinful people). We are the same way. God does so many things for us and yet we continue to try and do things our own way. We try to take care of ourselves. We try to live life without God, to walk a different path than he has laid out for us. Stick close to God, always. He will never lead you astray. Do not let God be the only one in the relationship who is faithful. God bless you.

Pastor Josh

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Isaiah 43: 1-13; Israel’s Only Savior

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Our God is mighty to save. If there is one things we can take away from Scripture, and from this passage it is that fact. Our God is mighty to save. He is mighty to save us from the powers of sin and evil. He is mighty to save us from our enemies who persecute us. He is mighty to save us from the trouble we make for ourselves. God is our source of refuge and strength. We can come to him with anything with the sure knowledge that he will be there to help us. No matter what we face in this life we can rest in knowing our God is mighty to save us from anything we encounter. God bless you.

Pastor Josh

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Isaiah 42: 18-25; Israel Blind and Deaf

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

We need to open our eyes and ears. We are guilty, like Israel before us, of not paying attention, of not listening to God and seeing what he is doing in the world. This Scripture passage serves as a reminder to us to keep watch, to pay attention. If we do we will see and hear from the Lord and we will grow in our relationship with him. God bless you.

Pastor Josh

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Isaiah 42: 10-17; Song of Praise to the LORD

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

A song of praise follows the passage about what the servant of the Lord is going to do. After the Israelites are told of the one who will come to open their eyes, etc. they offer to God a song of praise. This is a habit we should cultivate in our own lives. God does so much for us every day, and we should take time to thank him. For one thing it is a nice thing to do; to thank someone, God, for doing something nice. But this will also serve as a reminder for us that goodness comes from God. It will remind us of God's continual presence in our lives. Sing a song of praise for God, especially when God blesses you. God bless you.

Pastor Josh

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Isaiah 42: 1-9; The Servant of the LORD

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

'...to open the eyes of the blind, to free captives from prison, and to release from the dungeon those who sit in darkness.' This sounds an awful lot like the kinds of things Jesus did in his ministry. As I read these words (which Jesus uses about himself in Matthew 11) I am reminded of Jesus' ministry: the people he helped, the eyes he opened, the ones he freed. But I am also reminded of the Biblical mandate for us to continue what Jesus started. We are called to continue the ministry of Jesus, which means we are the ones who are now supposed to be opening people's eyes to the love of Jesus; we are supposed to lead people to freedom from sin; we are to bring light into people's lives by sharing our faith with them. We have work to do, Jesus Work. God bless you.

Pastor Josh

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Sunday Scripture and Sermon for October 16, 2011

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

The Scripture passage for this Sunday comes from Exodus 22: 12-23, in which Moses asks God to accompany the Israelites on their journey, and in which Moses asks to see God's glory. The sermon is titled 'More, More, More' and will focus on our need to continue to grow in our faith, knowledge of God, and relationship with God. I hope to see you all in church on Sunday. God bless you.

Pastor Josh

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Isaiah 41: 1-29; The Helper of Israel

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

It is helpful to look back. It is a good thing for us to search our memory banks for the times when God's love and power were especially evident to us. When we do that we find that our hearts are filled with joy because we see what God has done. We also find that we are less afraid than we otherwise might be because we know God's love and power can, and will, be with us in the future. In this passage God is reminding Israel of what he has done for them in the past. This fills Israel with joy and hope for the future. For Israel looking back was one of the most helpful things they could do. The same is true for us. We need to look back, continually, and see what God has done for us. Let joy and hope fill your heart. God bless you.

Pastor Josh

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Isaiah 40: 1-31; Comfort for God's People

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

'The grass withers, and the flowers fall, but the word of our God endures forever.' Arguably, one of my all-time favorite Bible verses. Why? Because it speaks to the eternity of God. God will always be here, which means a lot when we look at the world around us. Things change: people die, people move, wars start, land is destroyed, animals are wiped out. The world is not the same as it was 50 years ago, and the world will be vastly different 50 years from now. But in all of that there is God. He will endure forever. That is, or should be, a huge comfort for God's people. No matter what we see change one thing will never, ever, change: the presence and reality of God. God bless you.

Pastor Josh

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Isaiah 39: 1-8; Envoys from Babylon

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Hezekiah loses his trust in God. Hezekiah begins to believe that a friendship with Babylon will be to his benefit, rather than his friendship with God. Hezekiah begins to think in worldly terms, which is what gets him into trouble. In Hezekiah there is a lesson that we need to trust only in God; not in our own plans and 'power.' God is the only one who can lead our lives down the right path. God is the only one who can, and will, help us through life. Trust in God, not in the world. God bless you.

Pastor Josh

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Isaiah 38: 1-22; Hezekiah's Illness

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

The importance of prayer cannot be underestimated. Many times in Scripture we see God's mind being changed through some one's prayer. Here we see Hezekiah on the verge of death. He has been told my Isaiah that he is going to die. Hezekiah then comes to the Lord in prayer and asks God to spare him, which God does. There are other instances in which prayer is used by someone to change God's mind. What does this mean for us? It means we should come to God in prayer and ask him for what we need. God may have a plan for us, but he may change his mind. So come to God in prayer and present your request to him. It is not a guarantee. God will do what God will do, but we can, and should, ask God for whatever we need believing in our hearts he will answer that prayer. God bless you.

Pastor Josh

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Isaiah 37: 21-38; Sennacherib's Fall

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

"And the angel of the Lord went out and struck down a hundred and eighty-five thousand in the camp of the Assyrians." What power does our God have. That is a statement of fact, not a question. God is awesome in power and in might. Jerusalem is, essentially, surrounded by an insurmountable number. And just when we think all hope is lost God steps in an handles business. God is power. God is love. Remeber all those times when God has done something like this for you. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Isaiah 37: 14-20; Hezekiah's Prayer for Deliverance

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

This is what a prayer should sound like, for this prayer comes from the heart. Prayer does not have to be this fancy things with big words and impressive prayers. Prayer is, simply, talking to God and asking for what we need. It really is that simple. Read this prayer through several times and model your daily prayer after it. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Rally Day

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

We are having a Rally Day here at Mt. Lebanon Christian Church this Sunday in an attempt to 'rally' our members to be more active in church. We will be starting with a breakfast, which will be at 9:30 a.m. Following that there will be a Sunday School lesson on Prayer in the New Testament, which will itself be followed by our worship service. Please join us for this event. It is going to be a lot of fun. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Isaiah 37: 1-13; Hezekiah Seeks Isaiah's Help

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Isaiah offers a comforting word in times of distress. This is a difficult thing to do because as weird as it may sound good news in times of trouble is not always to be desired. People get so down in hopelessness sometimes that it makes it hard to hear, and believe in, any good news. And yet we hear Isaiah do just that, and we see Judah accept the good news. This is something to keep in mind: we need to hear and believe the good news of God's love no matter what kind of situation we are in. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Sunday Scripture and Sermon for October 9, 2011

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

The Old Testament lesson for this Sunday comes from Exodus 32: 1-6, in which the Israelites make a golden calf to worship when Moses goes up on Mt. Sinai. The New Testament lesson is from Philippians 4: 4-9 in which Paul tells the Philippians how to live faithful lives. The sermon is titled 'You're Grounded' and will focus on our need to stay grounded on God, and his plan for us, no matter what happens in life. I hope to see you all in church on Sunday. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Isaiah 36: 1-22; Sennacherib Invades Judah

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

To Israel's credit they do not sell out to the Assyrians. The Northern Kingdom has already been bribed by the Assyrians, but the Southern Kingdom, the people of Judah, refuse to be bribed, they hold to their faith and trust in God. In this instance the people of Judah serve as a model for us. The world wants us to sell out, to give up our faith. We must not do it. We must continue to believe in God. God is the only one who can, and will, give us everything we need for our lives. The world has offered to buy us, and like Judah we should refuse. We should hold fast to our faith in God. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Isaiah 35: 1-10; Joy of the Redeemed

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

How sweet are the lives of those who have been blessed. Have you ever noticed that when one thing goes right everything else just seems to fall into place? Take, for example, our salvation. We have all been saved by the blood of Jesus. That salvation brings us closer to God. It also frees us from anger, guilt, shame, and many other negative things, which in turn allows us to have a closer relationship with those around us. When we have close relationships with those around us we are more inclined to live happy lives. And it goes on and on and on. The point is this. We have been redeemed by God, which is joyful in and of itself. But that redemption brings to us many other blessings which also bring great joy to our lives. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Isaiah 34: 1-17; Judgment Against the Nations

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

God has power. That much is clear as we read this passage. God has the power to create, which is laid out for us in the book of Genesis, and here we are told that God also has the power to destroy what he has created. In short, our God is a mighty God. That is good news for us. With all of the things that seemingly are wrong with this world God has power over all of it. We need to be patient as we wait for God to reveal his power, but at the end of the day we can rest in knowing God is powerful. God bless you.

Pastor Josh

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Isaiah 33: 1-24; Distress and Help

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

"Be our strength every morning," What a prayer that is. We all could use a little extra strength. Many people drink coffee in the morning to get that extra kick to wake them up for the day. This prayer functions like a cup of coffee. This prayer is for the morning time to get that extra dose of the Holy Spirit to help us get through the day. When you wake up tomorrow say these words: "Be my strength every (this) morning." God bless you.

Pastor Josh

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Isaiah 32: 9-20; The Women of Jerusalem

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Instead of saying 'women' I will say 'mothers,' and I will add to that 'fathers.' The point is this: as parents we need to raise our children in faith. If we want the church, and the ministry of Christ to continue we need to raise up our little ones to know and serve the Lord. We cannot sacrifice them to the rigors of society, the expectations of the world. If we want the children to be in the church, we have to get them here. We have to raise them in faith. Rise up, parents! God bless you.

Pastor Josh

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Isaiah 32: 1-8; The Kingdom of Righteousness

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Things are going to look up. Life stinks, and I cannot think of a better way to say it. Sometimes we simply survive from day to day. In those times it is hard to find any hope, but here, in this passage, we find some. We are reminded of the good news that our futures will be blessed. We are reminded of the good news of the kingdom that awaits us: Heaven. It may not be a perfect solution to our, or the world's, problems, but it can help. Someday things will be perfect. Find hope in that promise. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Isaiah 31: 1-9; Woe to Those Who Rely on Egypt

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

"...but do not look to the Holy One of Israel, or seek help from the LORD." Much like we do with plans we also have a propensity to try and get ourselves out of trouble without consulting God in some way. We think we can get out of those things on our own, when really we cannot do anything without God's help. We need to remember that. We need to ask God for help when we are in need. If we do his answer will always come, and it will always be the answer we truly need. God bless you.

Pastor Josh

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Pastor Josh on Vacation

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

I will be on vacation from September 30-October 2, 2011. If you need anything while I am away please contact one of the church elders. Reverend Oscar Cruz will be preaching on Sunday, October 2. God bless you.

Pastor Josh

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Sunday Scripture and Sermon for October 2, 2011

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

The Sunday sermon will be delivered by Reverend Oscar Cruz. Worship will begin at 11:00 a.m. and I hope you are all able to attend. God bless you.

Pastor Josh

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Isaiah 30: 1-33; Woe to the Obstinate Nation

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

I like the first couple verses of this chapter the best because they highlight a problem that all of us seem to have at one time or another: we make our own plans. 'I know the plans I have for you,' says the Lord. God has plans, and his plans are better. God's plans are the ones to which we should listen. We do not need to make our own plans. That shows a lack of trust in God. Rather, we should turn our lives completely over to God and allow him to lead us down the right path. He will not lead us astray. God bless you.

Pastor Josh

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Isaiah 29:1-24; Woe to David's City

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

As much as we love to talk about God in terms of his love, compassion, and faithfulness this passage serves as a reminder to us, and everyone else, that we do not want to get on God's bad side. God is love, but for those who choose to not believe in him there is going to be trouble. For those who choose to punish and persecute God's children the same fate just might await them when the day of judgment comes. And in that is a motivation for us to bring people to a life of faith in Jesus. We are commanded to love our neighbors as ourselves. With our love for them comes a desire to see our neighbors be saved, to have life. If we love our neighbors as we should we will do everything we can for them to make sure they are saved: by telling them about Jesus. Share your faith. Save your neighbors from God's judgment. God bless you.

Pastor Josh

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Isaiah 28:1-29; Woe to the Leaders of Ephraim and Judah

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

"All this also comes from the LORD Almighty, whose plan is wonderful, whose wisdom is magnificent." With all of the chaos in the world right now it is hard to imagine that there is any sense to any of it. It is hard to imagine God having anything resembling a plan for the world, but in these words from Isaiah we find all the comfort we need: God does have a plan. God's wisdom does surpass everything else we have ever known in the world. With all that in mind, how can we not trust? It is sometimes difficult, but we need to trust and believe that the Lord is good, that he is wise, that he does have a plan (and a wonderful plan, no less). God bless you.

Pastor Josh

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Isaiah 27: 1-12; Deliverance of Israel

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

God will have the final victory. Israel is faced with a time in which they will be overthrown and invaded. And in that time they somewhat question their faith. They are unsure about God's love for them and God's power to help. But in this passage Israel is given the good news that God will have the final victory; that God will, in the end, save Israel from its enemies. We can take the same comfort Israel took from that statement. The world is full of evil; and when we see evil things happen we question God's love, goodness, power, etc. Find comfort in these words: in the end, God will have the final victory over all the powers of evil. God bless you.

Pastor Josh

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Isaiah 26: 1-21; A Song of Praise

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

A great deal about this song of praise is related to trust, trusting God to provide for every need. I think all of us need to print this song out, blow it up in real big letters, and tape it to our bedroom wall so we see it every day. In other words, we need to trust God more. God has given us many things to make our lives easier, but instead of thanking him and trusting him to do more we have become far too reliant on these things and do not have the same kind of trust of God we used to have. We need to develop our trust in the Lord. We need to believe that God loves us, and that he has the means, and the power, to take care of our every need. God bless you.

Pastor Josh

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Isaiah 25: 1-12; Praise to the Lord

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

This passage almost reads like a 'who's who' of God's acts of love toward the Israelites. God has done so much for them, and the Israelites take this time to thank God, and praise him for all he has done. This is what Sunday morning worship is all about for us. We gather in God's house to praise him for all he has done. This means we leave behind all the things of this world. All of our cares, concerns, burdens, angers, frustrations, etc need to be left behind so we can rest in God's presence, so we can worship him with all our hearts. Next time you go to worship make sure you make time, and effort, for worship. God bless you.

Pastor Josh

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Isaiah 24: 1-23; The Lord's Devastation of the Earth

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Poking the bear is a very real fear for the world. In this passage we are given an idea of what may happen to us if we continue to lay aside and let the world have its way: the world will be destroyed. While we will get to go to heaven, the destruction of the world will not be such a good thing. This is when we, as Christians, need to step in and steer the world back on course. It is up to us to make sure the world is not devastated by God. We know God's love, and his salvation, which have been given to us. We do not have to worry about being punished. But the rest of the world may. And we need to make sure that does not happen. God bless you.

Pastor Josh

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Sunday Scripture and Sermon for September 25, 2011

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

The Scripture passage for this Sunday comes from Philippians 2: 1-13, in which Paul speaks of Christ, who he is, and what he has done for us. The sermon is titled 'Revelation' and will focus on the fact that Christ perfectly reveals who God is as well as what Christ tells us about God. I hope to see you all in church on Sunday. God bless you.

Pastor Josh

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Isaiah 23: 1-18; A Prophecy Against Tyre

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

"Wail, you ships of Tarshish; your fortress is destroyed." A fortress is something we build to protect ourselves from our enemies. It is also a place in which we might hide from someone who is looking for us. God tells the people of Tyre their fortress is destroyed. In other words, 'you cannot hide from me.' Now, for the people of Tyre this is not really good news. They want to hide from God, but cannot. However, for us this is a reminder that we cannot flee from God's presence. This is a reminder that we cannot hide from him anywhere. God will never leave us, nor will he ever let us leave him. The fortress we have built for ourselves has been destroyed. We are in a new fortress: God's fortress, where God will always be with us. God bless you.

Pastor Josh

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Isaiah 22: 1-25; A Prophecy About Jerusalem

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

"Beware, the Lord is about to take firm hold of you...' Now those words are meant for a specific person in this passage, but can they not also be applied to us as well. For many years now the world, as a whole, has kept God at an arm's length away. 'We don't need you,' we sometimes say to God. In these words we are reminded that we are not all that far away from God. We are reminded that God is strong enough to reach into our lives. And we are reminded that God has the desire for our lives to be right. If we continue down the road we are on, as a nation and as a world, God may just grab hold of us and move us down the right path, with us kicking and screaming if necessary.. God bless you.

Pastor Josh

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Isaiah 21: 13-17; A Prophecy Against Arabia

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Imagine for just a moment if you only had one month left to live. Arabia is facing that in this passage. What would you do with that amount of time? Would you do all the things you never had a chance to do before? Or would you live those last days, weeks, and months for the glory of God knowing you might not have another chance? Now imagine this: what if all of us lived every day as if it were our last day; our last day to praise, to worship, to share our faith, etc. What if we only had a little time left? What if we lived our lives that way? God bless you.

Pastor Josh

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Isaiah 21:11-12; A Prophecy Against Edom

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

'Morning is coming, but also the night.' It is not explicable, really, but sometimes we simply have to take the good with the bad. They often come in pairs, good and evil. We find a job, but we lose our house. We are blessed with children, but those children are sometimes sick. I cannot explain, perfectly, why these things happen. What I can say, though, is that God is with us through it all. You see, God is a not a god who flees in the hard times. God does not leave us when the chips are down. God stays with us, and he suffers with us. As we endure hardships we have a God who stays with us every step of the way. That is no small thing. It may not be a perfect answer as to the presence of evil in the world, but it is no small thing that God stays with us as we face the joys and the sorrows life sometimes brings our way. God bless you.

Pastor Josh

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Isaiah 21: 1-10; A Prophecy Against Babylon

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Is it not a nice feeling to know we will not suffer in this way? The suffering that comes in this passage comes from the hands of God for some sin or other. The pain and agony sound almost unbearable. And while this passage is dark and filled with despair I cannot help but pull just a little bit of hope from it: we will not suffer at the hands of God. We know God, we have accepted Jesus as personal Lord and Savior. As such, Jesus has saved us from sin. Jesus has taken the punishment that should have been ours. Jesus is our salvation, for we have confessed him. And because we have confessed him we receive the blessings he offers. We are saved from sin; we are spared from punishment. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Isaiah 20: 1-6; A Prophecy Against Cush and Egypt

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

There are signs everywhere. Isaiah goes barefoot for a while to give a message to the people of Cush and Egypt. Similar things happen today. God speaks in many ways; God shows himself in many ways. The trick is for us to pay attention; to look properly and listen properly to what God is calling us to do. We need to see, or hear, the signs around us so that we might know what God is up to in the world. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Small Group Study at Mt. Lebanon Christian Church

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

We are going to be having a Small Group Study here at the church: Balancing Life's Demands. If you are feeling stressed out by the busyness of life then this small group study is just the thing for you. In this study we will learn how to balance all those demands and deal with the stress of life.

The study will begin on Monday, September 19, 2011 at 7:00 p.m. and will run every Monday at the same time.

Please stop by and join us for this study. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Isaiah 19: 1-25; A Prophecy Against Egypt

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

I would like to turn those first couple of verses into a positive. Isaiah tells us here that God is able to go anywhere. For the Egyptians this is not good news, but for us it is. Every once in a while, some of us lose our way. For one reason or another we sometimes find ourselves off the path of faith. When that happens we are still visible to God. He can still see us. He can still come to us. That should fill us with hope. No matter how far off the beaten path we get God will always be near us. He will never leave us, and we cannot get away from him. Praise God that He is always here. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Sunday Scripture and Sermon for September 18, 2011

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

The Scripture passage for this Sunday comes from Philippians 1: 21-30, in which Paul exhorts the Philippians to stay true to their faith, to be grounded in their heavenly home. The sermon is titled 'I'm From...' and will focus on our call to act like we are from our heavenly home. I hope to see you all on Sunday. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Isaiah 18: 1-7; A Prophecy Against Cush

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

'At that time gifts will be brought to the Lord Almighty.' Someday everyone in the world will come to know God and accept Jesus as personal Lord in Savior. At least, that is our hope and prayer. As Isaiah says here, 'a trumpet will sound and you will hear it.' So we work for that day, we pray for that day when 'at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow...and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,...' Let us all sound the trumpet and bring people to a life of faith in Jesus. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Isaiah 17: 1-14; A Prophecy Against Damascus

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

'In that day people will look to their maker and turn their eyes to the Holy One of Israel.' I say this prayer, or a version of it, just about every day. The world has lost its way. This country, in many ways, has lost its way. My prayer is that the world will find its way to God again. This is a prayer all of us should pray every day. Those of us who follow Christ have turned our lives around. We have repented and turned into a new life in Christ. Because of that we have been blessed. We should hope, and pray, that the rest of the world will follow suit. Let's all pray for the day when the world turns its eyes to God. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Isaiah 15: 1- 16: 14; A Prophecy Against Moab

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

As Christians we sometimes have to deal with difficult passages such as these. In these two chapters we learn about the punishment and destruction that awaits Moab. Due to their sinful ways they are going to be punished most severely. This kind of language and action do not fall in line with the salvation and eternal life we find through Jesus; the grace that is central to the New Testament. So, how do we reconcile the two. In my mind we reconcile them by saying this is a before and after picture. Before Jesus came into the world the punishment that was visited upon Moab was something that awaited all the world: punishment for sin. But after Jesus came into the world there is no need for punishment anymore because Jesus took the punishment that should have been ours: salvation from sin. That, I think, helps us deal with these passages that focus so much on death and judgment. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Isaiah 14: 28-32; A Prophecy Against the Philistines

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

I do not want to speak for anyone else, but after reading this passage I have absolutely no desire to be a Philistine. Really, I have absolutely no desire to be on any one's side but God's. In reading this passage I am reminded of just how good we have it as God's children. Look at all the things that await the Philistines, and remember what we have through Jesus. What we have through Jesus is much more appealing. Of course, this makes faith sound like a rewards program, which is not always the best thing. But at the end of the day it cannot be denied that there are benefits to having faith in God. And the really good news is that they are ours for the taking. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Isaiah 13: 1- 14: 27; A Prophecy Against Babylon

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

On this day many of us will be remembering with broken hearts the events of September 11, 2001. Most, if not all, of us remember exactly what we were doing when the first plane crashed into the World Trade Center. Most, if not all, of us wanted, and still want punishment to come on those responsible. In this passage we are reminded of one very important thing: vengeance belongs to the Lord. Ours is to forgive. Is it hard? Yes. Is it impossible? Possibly. But we need to remember that it is up to God to punish, not us. We are called by God, and Jesus, to forgive those who have sinned against us. Just as Jesus has forgiven us, we ought to forgive each other, knowing God will handle the rest. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Isaiah 12: 1-6; Songs of Praise

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

'Give praise to the Lord, proclaim his name.' Every so often, Sundays perhaps, it is good for us to get together to praise God. We spend the rest of our lives and faith asking God for guidance, strength, helpful traffic patterns, money in the bank, etc. We need to realize how important it is for us to simply pause and offer our praise and thanksgiving to God for what he has done for us. Praise God, and not just on Sundays. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Mt. Lebanon Christian Church Harvest Festival and Craft Sale

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

This Saturday, September 10, 2011 there will be a Harvest Festival and Craft Sale here at the Church. We will be having a yard and bake sale. There will be quite a few vendors selling homemade crafts, etc. And we will have a number of fun activities for children and adults. The festivities will begin at 9:00 a.m. and end at 3:00 p.m. Please stop by and check things out. We lookforward to seeing you. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Isaiah 11: 1-16; The Branch From Jesse

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

'A shoot will come up from the branch of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.' Isaiah is prophesying about 500 years or so before Jesus comes into the world. I mention to highlight the fact that God did not send Jesus into the world on a whim. No, God planned it from the very beginning. God planned ahead of time our salvation. Isaiah is looking ahead to that time, which lets us know it was not an accident or an afterthought, Jesus coming into the world. God had that plan in motion long before Jesus came into the world. And just as God had that plan in motion, he has another plan in motion for the world. God loves the world he has made, and has plans for the world he has made. We can rest knowing we are in good hands; God's hands; the hands of God who has a plan for us and the world. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Sunday Scripture and Sermon for September 11, 2001

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

This Sunday we will be having a special service in commemoration of the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. We will be praying for peace and moving toward forgiveness. We faithfully invite everyone to attend this special worship service. I hope to see you all on Sunday. God bless you.

As a reminder, we will be returning to our normal worship hours this Sunday. Worship will begin at 11:00 a.m.

Pastor Josh
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Isaiah 10: 20-34; The Remnant of Israel

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

"...But they will truly rely on the Lord, the Holy One of Israel.' This is the day to which the Israelites are looking forward. They are eager for the time when they will truly rely on God for everything in their lives. God is looking forward to this day as well. I wonder if we will ever get there. We have made so many things for ourselves. Advancement is a wonderful thing, but I fear because of the advancement of our world we have come to believe we do not need God anymore. If there was ever an evil thought in the world it is that one. We need the Lord, perhaps now more than ever. We all need to rely on God more. We need to get closer to that day when we will truly rely on the Lord, the Holy One of Israel. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Isaiah 10: 5-19; God's Judgment on Assyria

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

'A mighty fortress is our God.' This passage highlights the good news that God will have the final victory over our enemies, the forces of evil in the world. In these words God speaks to the Israelites words of comfort that someday he will deal with the Assyrians. This message is for us today as well. Some days we might as well be the Psalmist who talks about his enemies surrounding him on every side. We feel surrounded. We feel trapped. We feel like we will not be able to survive. But in those moments we have these words: that the Lord will have the final victory. We do not know when this is going to happen. We do not know how it is going to happen. But we can hold on to the hope we have in God that God will be with us; that someday God will rescue us from the forces of evil, the forces that would do us harm in this world. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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