Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.
Who is Jesus? That is a question we need to ask ourselves every day. Is Jesus just a nice guy, someone who managed to live a decent enough life but who is not worthy of imitation? Is Jesus just a random prophet, someone who had a few nice things to say but whose words are no lover relevant in the 21st century? Is Jesus just a historical figure, someone who lived thousands of years ago and is soon to be forgotten by the present generation? Or is Jesus the Christ, the Son of the Living God? Who is Jesus for you? Does your life reflect that belief? Are we going to be like the rest of the world and push Jesus off to the side, or are we going to confess him as personal Lord and Savior and live our lives accordingly? God bless you.
Pastor Josh
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Saturday, September 12, 2009
Friday, September 11, 2009
Matthew 16: 5-12; The Yeast of the Pharisees and Saducees
Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.
Listen to Jesus. He speaks the truth; he brings a message of grace and love; he brings the good news of our salvation. For the disciples the enemies were the Pharisees and the Saducees. For us the enemy is anyone who tells us to ignore Jesus, to follow a different path; anyone who brings a message not consistent with who Jesus is and what his will for us is. There are those who would lead us astray. We need to be mindful of them and keep ourselves centered on Christ and the words he has spoken to us. God bless you.
Pastor Josh
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Listen to Jesus. He speaks the truth; he brings a message of grace and love; he brings the good news of our salvation. For the disciples the enemies were the Pharisees and the Saducees. For us the enemy is anyone who tells us to ignore Jesus, to follow a different path; anyone who brings a message not consistent with who Jesus is and what his will for us is. There are those who would lead us astray. We need to be mindful of them and keep ourselves centered on Christ and the words he has spoken to us. God bless you.
Pastor Josh
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Thursday, September 10, 2009
Sunday Scripture and Sermon for September 13, 2009
Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.
The Scripture passage for this Sunday is from 1 Thessalonians 5: 1-11, in which Paul gives to the Thessalonians some final instructions. The sermon is entitled 'Stand Together' and will focus on our need and call as Christians to be one body.
Please note that this Sunday we return to our Fall Hours. Sunday School will beign at 9:45 a.m. for adults, and 10:00 for our Children and Youth. Worship begins at 11:00 a.m. I hope to see you all Sunday. God bless you.
Pastor Josh
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The Scripture passage for this Sunday is from 1 Thessalonians 5: 1-11, in which Paul gives to the Thessalonians some final instructions. The sermon is entitled 'Stand Together' and will focus on our need and call as Christians to be one body.
Please note that this Sunday we return to our Fall Hours. Sunday School will beign at 9:45 a.m. for adults, and 10:00 for our Children and Youth. Worship begins at 11:00 a.m. I hope to see you all Sunday. God bless you.
Pastor Josh
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Matthew 16: 1-4; The Demand for a Sign
Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.
Jesus has done so much for us already. Why do we need more signs? When we read this passage we want to point our finger at those around Jesus, but we need to remember that we are just like them. We ask for signs, too. 'Just one little thing and I'll believe in you.' We want God to come and fix everything for us, and if he doesn't our faith is shaken. What we need to remember is that Jesus has fixed everything for us. Through his life and ministry; through his death on the cross; through the resurrection Jesus has given us all we need. We do not need any more signs. Jesus has revealed everything to us, he has shown us everything there is to see. God bless you.
Pastor Josh
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Jesus has done so much for us already. Why do we need more signs? When we read this passage we want to point our finger at those around Jesus, but we need to remember that we are just like them. We ask for signs, too. 'Just one little thing and I'll believe in you.' We want God to come and fix everything for us, and if he doesn't our faith is shaken. What we need to remember is that Jesus has fixed everything for us. Through his life and ministry; through his death on the cross; through the resurrection Jesus has given us all we need. We do not need any more signs. Jesus has revealed everything to us, he has shown us everything there is to see. God bless you.
Pastor Josh
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Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Matthew 15: 29-39; Jesus Feeds the Four Thousand
Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.
Jesus takes care of all needs. After Jesus goes up on the mountainside he is besieged with people suffering from many ailments. Rather than send them away Jesus heals them all, bringing to them that comfort and peace they need in their lives. The crowd whom Jesus feeds has been with him, as Jesus says, for three days. This suggests that Jesus has been preaching and teaching during that time, giving this group of people the spiritual nourishment they need in their lives. And finally, Jesus gives the people some actual food to eat. Jesus knows they are hungry, he does not want them to go away hungry, so he feeds them. Jesus offers all of these things to us as well. When we are broken and in need of healing, Jesus touches us; when we are in need of a word from the Lord and some guidance, Jesus speaks to us; and when we are hungry and need sustenance for our faith, Jesus feeds us. Jesus takes care of all our needs. God bless you.
Pastor Josh
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Jesus takes care of all needs. After Jesus goes up on the mountainside he is besieged with people suffering from many ailments. Rather than send them away Jesus heals them all, bringing to them that comfort and peace they need in their lives. The crowd whom Jesus feeds has been with him, as Jesus says, for three days. This suggests that Jesus has been preaching and teaching during that time, giving this group of people the spiritual nourishment they need in their lives. And finally, Jesus gives the people some actual food to eat. Jesus knows they are hungry, he does not want them to go away hungry, so he feeds them. Jesus offers all of these things to us as well. When we are broken and in need of healing, Jesus touches us; when we are in need of a word from the Lord and some guidance, Jesus speaks to us; and when we are hungry and need sustenance for our faith, Jesus feeds us. Jesus takes care of all our needs. God bless you.
Pastor Josh
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Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Matthew 15: 1-28; Clean and Unclean
Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.
"Listen and understand. What goes into a person's mouth does not make them unclean, but what comes out of their mouths, that is what makes them unclean." This worth remembering. Our actions and our words determine who we are and how people will see us. Eating a hamburger does not matter as much as not swearing at the tv when your team loses a game. Yes, we should be healthy in our eating habits, but we should also be holy in our living habits. How we live our lives, what we do and say, is extremely important, for that is what determines whether or not we are living a life worthy of our calling. God bless you.
Pastor Josh
<><
"Listen and understand. What goes into a person's mouth does not make them unclean, but what comes out of their mouths, that is what makes them unclean." This worth remembering. Our actions and our words determine who we are and how people will see us. Eating a hamburger does not matter as much as not swearing at the tv when your team loses a game. Yes, we should be healthy in our eating habits, but we should also be holy in our living habits. How we live our lives, what we do and say, is extremely important, for that is what determines whether or not we are living a life worthy of our calling. God bless you.
Pastor Josh
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Monday, September 7, 2009
Matthew 14: 22-36; Jesus Walks on the Water
Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.
Keep your eyes on Jesus! Peter is doing fine until he looks down, until it enters his mind that people cannot, or should not be able to, walk on water. The doubts and fears, the words of the world creep into Peter's mind and heart, and he sinks. If he keeps his eyes on Jesus he will be fine, but he is unable to do so. If we keep our eyes on Jesus, trusting him, believing with our whole heart, that he will be there for us to guide us and protect us we will be fine. But if we, if only for a moment, take our eyes off Jesus then we, like Peter, will find ourselves sinking down. If we keep our eyes on Jesus we will walk on water. If we don't, we won't. God bless you.
Pastor Josh
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Keep your eyes on Jesus! Peter is doing fine until he looks down, until it enters his mind that people cannot, or should not be able to, walk on water. The doubts and fears, the words of the world creep into Peter's mind and heart, and he sinks. If he keeps his eyes on Jesus he will be fine, but he is unable to do so. If we keep our eyes on Jesus, trusting him, believing with our whole heart, that he will be there for us to guide us and protect us we will be fine. But if we, if only for a moment, take our eyes off Jesus then we, like Peter, will find ourselves sinking down. If we keep our eyes on Jesus we will walk on water. If we don't, we won't. God bless you.
Pastor Josh
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