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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