Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.
This is one of the most meaningful passages in the entire gospel, the temptation of Jesus. Why? Because in this passage we are given the good news that Jesus has dealt with temptation, and that means Jesus can help us when we are tempted. Jesus knows what it means to face temptation, and because he knows that he can be there to help us as we face temptation. We do not follow a Lord who has no idea what we face. Rather, we follow a Lord who has been through what we go through. Specifically, Jesus has been tempted, which means for us he can, and will, be there to help us when we are tempted. God bless you.
Pastor Josh
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Saturday, February 6, 2010
Friday, February 5, 2010
Mark 1: 1-8; John the Baptist Prepares the Way
Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.
We are the new John the Baptist, meaning that we are the ones who are to prepare the way of the Lord. Someday, we will look and see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven. It will, for us, be a glorious day, but there is work to be done in the meantime, namely sharing the good news of Jesus that everyone will know Jesus and confess him as personal Lord and savior. Jesus gives the Great Commission just before he ascends into heaven, showing the importance of making disciples of all nations. We are to prepare the way for Jesus by making his name known across the world, by doing all we can to bring as many people to faith in Jesus Christ as we possibly can. God bless you.
Pastor Josh
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We are the new John the Baptist, meaning that we are the ones who are to prepare the way of the Lord. Someday, we will look and see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven. It will, for us, be a glorious day, but there is work to be done in the meantime, namely sharing the good news of Jesus that everyone will know Jesus and confess him as personal Lord and savior. Jesus gives the Great Commission just before he ascends into heaven, showing the importance of making disciples of all nations. We are to prepare the way for Jesus by making his name known across the world, by doing all we can to bring as many people to faith in Jesus Christ as we possibly can. God bless you.
Pastor Josh
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Thursday, February 4, 2010
Sunday Scripture and Sermon for Sunday, February 7, 2010
Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.
The Old Testament lesson for this Sunday comes from Isaiah 6: 1-8, in which Isaiah has a vision and volunteers for God's service. The New Testament lesson is from Luke 5: 1-11, in which Jesus calls his first disciples. The sermon is titled 'Be Willing' and will focus on the ways in which we need to be willing to serve God. I hope to see you all on Sunday Morning. God bless you.
Pastor Josh
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The Old Testament lesson for this Sunday comes from Isaiah 6: 1-8, in which Isaiah has a vision and volunteers for God's service. The New Testament lesson is from Luke 5: 1-11, in which Jesus calls his first disciples. The sermon is titled 'Be Willing' and will focus on the ways in which we need to be willing to serve God. I hope to see you all on Sunday Morning. God bless you.
Pastor Josh
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2 Corinthians 13: 1-14; Final Warnings and Greetings
Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.
Continue to work on your faith. That is basically what Paul is telling the Corinthians here, to continue to work on their faith. Faith is a journey with many ups and downs, twists and turns, holes and other types of obstacles. This means we need to continue to work hard to stay on the journey of faith. There may times when we want to stop, when we want to give up. In those times we need to work hard, to make sure we are keeping our faith in God, and making that faith even stronger. God bless you.
Pastor Josh
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Continue to work on your faith. That is basically what Paul is telling the Corinthians here, to continue to work on their faith. Faith is a journey with many ups and downs, twists and turns, holes and other types of obstacles. This means we need to continue to work hard to stay on the journey of faith. There may times when we want to stop, when we want to give up. In those times we need to work hard, to make sure we are keeping our faith in God, and making that faith even stronger. God bless you.
Pastor Josh
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Wednesday, February 3, 2010
2 Corinthians 12: 11-21; Paul's Concern for the Corinthians
Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.
Paul cares enough about the Corinthians to hold them accountable for what they are doing. Jesus tells that we are, at times, to correct one another, so that we can all work together to live holy lives. Paul is encouraging the same kind of relationship. We should not be mean and vindictive about things, but we should, if it is necessary, bring to someone's attention to their own sin. In so doing we help them in their journey of faith. Paul loves the Corinthians. He wants to see them do well. We should think and feel the same way. In a loving manner we should hold each other accountable for how we live our lives. God bless you.
Pastor Josh
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Paul cares enough about the Corinthians to hold them accountable for what they are doing. Jesus tells that we are, at times, to correct one another, so that we can all work together to live holy lives. Paul is encouraging the same kind of relationship. We should not be mean and vindictive about things, but we should, if it is necessary, bring to someone's attention to their own sin. In so doing we help them in their journey of faith. Paul loves the Corinthians. He wants to see them do well. We should think and feel the same way. In a loving manner we should hold each other accountable for how we live our lives. God bless you.
Pastor Josh
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Tuesday, February 2, 2010
2 Corinthians 12: 1-10; Paul's Vision and His Thorn
Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.
Take it to the Lord. That is what I hear in this passage. Paul has this thorn in his side, which causes him pain and grief on a regular basis. And in the midst of this pain he hears the word from Jesus, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Too often we imagine that we can handle our problems, our pain, ourselves. We refuse, for some reason, to go to the Lord with whatever may be troubling us. But in this passage we learn that Christ should be our number one destination when things are troubling us. When we are in a time of suffering we need to go to the Lord, recognize that his grace is sufficient to carry us through times of suffering. When you are troubled, take it to the Lord. God bless you.
Pastor Josh
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Take it to the Lord. That is what I hear in this passage. Paul has this thorn in his side, which causes him pain and grief on a regular basis. And in the midst of this pain he hears the word from Jesus, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Too often we imagine that we can handle our problems, our pain, ourselves. We refuse, for some reason, to go to the Lord with whatever may be troubling us. But in this passage we learn that Christ should be our number one destination when things are troubling us. When we are in a time of suffering we need to go to the Lord, recognize that his grace is sufficient to carry us through times of suffering. When you are troubled, take it to the Lord. God bless you.
Pastor Josh
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Monday, February 1, 2010
2 Corinthians 11: 16-33; Paul Boasts About His Suffering
Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.
Paul is not only boasting here, he is celebrating. Paul rejoices in the suffering he endures because he knows that his suffering is to the glory of God the father. Paul's sufferings are the consequences of his work for the Lord, and there is no greater work than working for the Lord. I wonder if we would have the same joy in our hearts if we had to suffer in the same way. If we were like Paul and endured all of these trials and tribulations in the name of Jesus, would we celebrate, would we have joy? Is suffering easy? No. But if we are suffering in the name of Christ it is something that we can celebrate, for we know above all else that through our suffering we have brought honor and glory to God, which is our highest calling. God bless you.
Pastor Josh
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Paul is not only boasting here, he is celebrating. Paul rejoices in the suffering he endures because he knows that his suffering is to the glory of God the father. Paul's sufferings are the consequences of his work for the Lord, and there is no greater work than working for the Lord. I wonder if we would have the same joy in our hearts if we had to suffer in the same way. If we were like Paul and endured all of these trials and tribulations in the name of Jesus, would we celebrate, would we have joy? Is suffering easy? No. But if we are suffering in the name of Christ it is something that we can celebrate, for we know above all else that through our suffering we have brought honor and glory to God, which is our highest calling. God bless you.
Pastor Josh
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