Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.
Imagine you are a disciple of Jesus and you are hearing these words come from the mouth of Jesus. Imagine the fear that you would have in your heart; imagine the sadness that would be there as well. Jesus, your friend and leader, is going to die. The one with whom you have spent so much of your time is going to be taken by the people who hate him, then will be handed over to those who will put him to death. As a disciple your world comes crashing down around you. Then that fear and sadness turn to hope and joy. Yes, Jesus is crucified, but he comes back to life. Yes, Jesus suffers, but through that you have salvation and eternal life. Yes, Jesus' earthly life and ministry are over, but your life is just beginning. Through Jesus, especially his death and resurrection, we have everything. We have life, salvation, peace, joy, hope, etc. That is reason to rejoice and be glad. Through Jesus we have everything. God bless you.
Pastor Josh
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Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Matthew 20: 1-16; The Parables of the Workers in the Vineyard
Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.
There is a lot of good news in this passage, but the best news is that we do not have to worry about who has worked harder or longer at their faith. There are those around us who, for lack of a better term, intimidate us because of their faith. Sometimes we think our faith does not matter, that it pales in comparison to the faith of others. The good news is, though, that our faith, no matter how small we think it is, does not pale. Our faith matters to God. We do not all have to be famous theologians who write big books; we do not all have to be martyrs. All that matters is that we believe in God and serve him to the best of our abilities. Nothing will please God more. God bless you.
Pastor Josh
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There is a lot of good news in this passage, but the best news is that we do not have to worry about who has worked harder or longer at their faith. There are those around us who, for lack of a better term, intimidate us because of their faith. Sometimes we think our faith does not matter, that it pales in comparison to the faith of others. The good news is, though, that our faith, no matter how small we think it is, does not pale. Our faith matters to God. We do not all have to be famous theologians who write big books; we do not all have to be martyrs. All that matters is that we believe in God and serve him to the best of our abilities. Nothing will please God more. God bless you.
Pastor Josh
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Monday, September 28, 2009
Matthew 19: 16-30; The Rich Young Man
Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.
It is not the young man's money that gets him in trouble, it is his attachment to it. We are supposed to live our lives for Jesus, nothing else. Yes, we have possessions. And that is OK. God is OK with us having a comfortable life with things we like to have. However, if we become slaves to those things; if those things stand in the way of us believing in God in the right way and doing his work, then a change does need to be made. God allows us to have money and other possessions, but even with that in mind we need to remember that we should let nothing, absolutely nothing, get in the way of our love for, and service to, God. God bless you.
Pastor Josh
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It is not the young man's money that gets him in trouble, it is his attachment to it. We are supposed to live our lives for Jesus, nothing else. Yes, we have possessions. And that is OK. God is OK with us having a comfortable life with things we like to have. However, if we become slaves to those things; if those things stand in the way of us believing in God in the right way and doing his work, then a change does need to be made. God allows us to have money and other possessions, but even with that in mind we need to remember that we should let nothing, absolutely nothing, get in the way of our love for, and service to, God. God bless you.
Pastor Josh
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Sunday, September 27, 2009
Matthew 19: 13-15; The Little Children and Jesus
Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.
Children are a blessing from the Lord. We are blessed in our church to have little children who are truly excited about being here with us. It is our job to nurture them: to teach them the good news of Jesus, to teach them about the Bible, to be there for them as they begin their journey of faith. This is not a burden, it is a blessing. It is a blessing for us to have people who are excited about faith, and to be able to teach them and help them grow in their faith. Thank the Lord for the children he has given to us. God bless you.
Pastor Josh
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Children are a blessing from the Lord. We are blessed in our church to have little children who are truly excited about being here with us. It is our job to nurture them: to teach them the good news of Jesus, to teach them about the Bible, to be there for them as they begin their journey of faith. This is not a burden, it is a blessing. It is a blessing for us to have people who are excited about faith, and to be able to teach them and help them grow in their faith. Thank the Lord for the children he has given to us. God bless you.
Pastor Josh
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Saturday, September 26, 2009
Matthew 19: 1-12; Divorce
Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.
"If this is the situation between a husband and a wife, it is better not to marry." There are those who, when they figure out that faith is not a bed of roses, walk away. Things are too hard to they decide to scrap the whole idea altogether. Jesus never promises us an easy road. Sometimes it is hard to follow Jesus, to do everything he has told us to do. Does that mean we give up and stop believing? I certainly hope not. No, when things get difficult, we ought to call on the name of the Lord and ask for his help. Jesus will help us bear our burdens, he will help us through the sometimes difficult journey of faith. God bless you.
Pastor Josh
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"If this is the situation between a husband and a wife, it is better not to marry." There are those who, when they figure out that faith is not a bed of roses, walk away. Things are too hard to they decide to scrap the whole idea altogether. Jesus never promises us an easy road. Sometimes it is hard to follow Jesus, to do everything he has told us to do. Does that mean we give up and stop believing? I certainly hope not. No, when things get difficult, we ought to call on the name of the Lord and ask for his help. Jesus will help us bear our burdens, he will help us through the sometimes difficult journey of faith. God bless you.
Pastor Josh
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Friday, September 25, 2009
Matthew 18: 21-35; The Parable of the Unmerciful Servant
Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.
The first servant, the one with the larger debt, has his debt cancelled. He is not given more time, or more money. Instead, he is granted forgiveness, his debt is completely wiped off the books. Even with the grace he has received he still cannot find it in his heart to forgive someone who is indebted to him. Are we going to act like this servant? Are we going to come to God and beg him for forgiveness but refuse to give it to those who sin against us? Or, are we going to follow Jesus example and forgive those who harm us. "Forgive them father, for they do not know what they are doing." Jesus utters those words from the cross, on behalf of those who put him on the cross. Jesus forgives those who have sinnned against him, the unmerciful servant does not. Which one are we going to be? God bless you.
Pastor Josh
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The first servant, the one with the larger debt, has his debt cancelled. He is not given more time, or more money. Instead, he is granted forgiveness, his debt is completely wiped off the books. Even with the grace he has received he still cannot find it in his heart to forgive someone who is indebted to him. Are we going to act like this servant? Are we going to come to God and beg him for forgiveness but refuse to give it to those who sin against us? Or, are we going to follow Jesus example and forgive those who harm us. "Forgive them father, for they do not know what they are doing." Jesus utters those words from the cross, on behalf of those who put him on the cross. Jesus forgives those who have sinnned against him, the unmerciful servant does not. Which one are we going to be? God bless you.
Pastor Josh
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Thursday, September 24, 2009
Sunday Scripture and Sermon for September 27, 2009
Grace and peace to you from our Lord Jesus Christ.
The Scripture passage for this Sunday is from 2 Thessalonians 2: 1-12, in which Paul tells us of the Man of Lawlessness. The sermon is titled 'Best Laid Plans,' and will focus on God's plans for us as a church and the world. I hope to see you Sunday. God bless you.
Pastor Josh
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The Scripture passage for this Sunday is from 2 Thessalonians 2: 1-12, in which Paul tells us of the Man of Lawlessness. The sermon is titled 'Best Laid Plans,' and will focus on God's plans for us as a church and the world. I hope to see you Sunday. God bless you.
Pastor Josh
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