Matthew 8: 23-27; Jesus Calms the Storm

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

The disciples find themselves in the midst of a storm. The water is raging around them, the boat is sinking a little, they think they are going to die. Where is Jesus? Asleep in the back of the boat. While the disciples are one death's doorstep Jesus is resting. The disciples, somewhat understandably upset, wake Jesus up and he calms the storm. This is one of those stories from the Bible that translates perfectly into our modern lives. We sometimes find ourselves in a storm. The water rages around us, we are sinking, we think we might not make it. In those times we sometimes feel like we are alone, like Jesus has abandoned us. But if we only open our eyes we will see him. Jesus has never left us. He is with us in the boat. If we simply have faith in him, and believe in his power and love, he will calm the storms we face in our lives. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Matthew 8: 18-22; The Cost of Following Jesus

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Sacrifice is the key word here. The disciples, when Jesus calls them drop everything they have to follow him. They leave behind their families (Peter is married, remember), their homes, and their source of income. There is a cost to following Jesus: giving up some of those things that are important to us, those things that get in the way of our being committed disciples. It is hard to follow Jesus. What makes it hard is that we have to give up so much to follow him. There is good news, though. We are blessed, rewarded for our faith. Following Jesus is hard, but it is worth the sacrifice. When we follow Jesus, we follow him to the kingdom of heaven; we follow him to salvation; we follow him to eternal life. There is a cost to following Jesus, but the price is worth it. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Matthew 8: 14-17; Jesus Heals Many

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Jesus always finds the time. I have always taken the scene involving Jesus at Peter's house as Jesus' attempt to take a little break and get some rest. In other words, Jesus is tired from all the work he has been doing. He is entitled to take a little break. However, he does not take a little break. Instead, "he casts out all the demons and heals all the sick." Jesus never turns anyone away. He always heals, he always helps. No matter how tired he feels he is always there to help. There is a lesson in there for us. We sometimes use our faitgue and/or our busy schedules as an excuse to not help, to not do ministry. Remember Jesus, and the way he always helps those who are in need. No matter hwo tired or busy we are we need to make sure we are always helping those who are in need. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Matthew 8: 5-13; The Faith of the Centurion

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

We need to believe in what Jesus can do for us, otherwise Jesus will be able to do nothing. It is because of his faith that the centurion receives healing on behalf of his servant. He does not pay Jesus, he does not do anything worthy of this act of love, but because he has faith that Jesus can heal his servant receives healing. We need to have faith in what Jesus can do. If we do, great things will happen for us. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Matthew 8: 1-4; The Man With Leprosy

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Jesus' compassion never ceases to amaze me. He heals this man suffering from leprosy because he loves this man. Jesus is not a show-off, he does not perform his miracles for his fame and glory. Jesus heals people because he loves them. It really is that simple. Jesus' love for this man is strong enough that Jesus, as Matthew tells us, is willing to lay his hands on this man and make him clean. Amazing love. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Matthew 7: 15-23; A Tree and Its Fruit

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

Sadly, there are those in the world who would like to lead us astray or even harm us. We need to be alert for such people. We will know them by the way they act, the way they talk, etc. We will be aware of false prophets by the words they speak. In all of this we need to make sure we are centered on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith. He will not lead us astray, he will hot harm us, he will not give us empty words. Keep your eyes and your focus on him and he will lead you by right paths. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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Evening Worship August 9, 2009

Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.

This Sunday we will be having an evening worship service at 7:00 p.m. Music will be led by Dan Lutes and John McCarty. Please join us for this moving, Spirit-filled, worship service. God bless you.

Pastor Josh
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