The Canceling of your Debt

HE HAS RISEN!!!!

Colossians 2:12-15
12 having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the powerful working of God, who raised him from the dead.
13 And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses,
14 by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.
15 He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.

1 Corinthians 1:23
but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles

Luke 2:34 
Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: "This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against,

1 Corinthians 1:18 
For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.

1  Corinthians 2:14 
The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit.

Hebrews 12:2 
fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

1Peter 2:8 
and, "A stone that causes people to stumble and a rock that makes them fall." They stumble because they disobey the message--which is also what they were destined for.

Acts 2:22-28
22 "Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man attested to you by God with mighty works and wonders and signs that God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know-
23 this Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men.
24 God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it.
25 For David says concerning him, "'I saw the Lord always before me, for he is at my right hand that I may not be shaken; 
26 therefore my heart was glad, and my tongue rejoiced; my flesh also will dwell in hope. 
27 For you will not abandon my soul to Hades, or let your Holy One see corruption. 
28 You have made known to me the paths of life; you will make me full of gladness with your presence.' 

Romans 4:20-
20 No distrust made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God,
21 fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised.
22 That is why his faith was "counted to him as righteousness."
23 But the words "it was counted to him" were not written for his sake alone,
24 but for ours also. It will be counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord,
25 who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification.

Luke 24:34
saying, "The Lord has risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!"

I Corinthians 15:3-4
3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures,
4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures,

Do You Have What It Takes?

I think to myself daily, "how can I do this, I don't have what it takes".
I don't know enough about the bible to share it with the lost!
Then the doubts, the fiery darts of Satan, began to shoot me straight in the heart, "You don't have a thing in common with those people".
You have not been in jail or prison!
You have not taken illicit drugs or been a drunk!
You certainly have never sold your body for immoral purposes!
Then that small still voice that comes from the Lord said " think again, go to My word and I will show you".
Then the terror set in, God's gonna make me do this! And in the process, He's gonna show me I have a great deal in common with "those people"!!

Lord, pour out Your Spirit. Tear my heart apart as You show me just how wicked I am!
Lord, teach me not to judge but to love and to encourage.
Teach me how to use Your word to set the captives free, yes even when their bodies are locked away in prison or when they appear to be free but their souls are being held captive. Amen

2 Corinthians 12:6-10
6 Though if I should wish to boast, I would not be a fool, for I would be speaking the truth. But I refrain from it, so that no one may think more of me than he sees in me or hears from me. 
7 So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations,a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited. 
8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. 
9 But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 
10 For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.


As long as Satan keeps us silent, people will perish!
As long as we shrink away from God's will, people will perish!
As long as we think we are better than others, people will perish!

What we all have in common....
Romans 5:12
Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned—
Genesis 2:17 
but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die."
Romans 5:14 
Nevertheless, death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking a command, as did Adam, who is a pattern of the one to come.
Ephesians 2:3 
All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath.

No one is free from sin....
1 John 1:8
If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

Matthew 15:19 

For out of the heart come evil thoughts--murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander.

James 1:14-15 

but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed.

Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.

What if we helped our lost friends be accountable by teaching them God's word as it will apply to their life and ours?
What if we show them that we all fail and can get forgiveness if we repent? What if we extend our hand and heart in compassion and be a friend?
What if we teach them that the material things of this earth pass away but love will never pass away!
What if we give of our time, money and resources to help them win the battle against hopelessness?
Do we have what it takes????
Christ does!!!

John 14:14
If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it.
John 15:16 
You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit--fruit that will last--and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you.

Let No One Disregard You

Titus 2:11-15
11 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, 
12 training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, 
13 waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, 14 who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works. 
15 Declare these things; exhort and rebuke with all authority. Let no one disregard you. 


2 Corinthians 2:11
so that we would not be outwitted by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his designs.

2 Corinthians 4:4 
The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

Luke 22:31 
"Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift all of you as wheat.

Ephesians 4:14
so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.

2 Corinthians 4:2 
Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to everyone's conscience in the sight of God.

2 Corinthians 11:3 
But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent's cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ.



Foolish man, you deny the power of God by offering up your opinion!!
You do not have any right to offer up an opinion!
God alone will judge man for everyone of his opinions that are in direct conflict with God's teaching! So all of you who twist the truth and replace it with a lie or for those who refuse to stand on the power of God, judgement awaits us all!!
Grace does not cover repeated and willful sin.
The time for ignorance is over!
Know the word, lest you be lead astray!
Repent, for Christ is preparing to come again!!

Revelation 12:10 
Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: "Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Messiah. For the accuser of our brothers and sisters, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down.

Luke 24:47 
and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.

Acts 17:23 
For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: to an unknown god. So you are ignorant of the very thing you worship--and this is what I am going to proclaim to you.

Romans 3:25 
God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood--to be received 
by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished--

Ephesians 4:18 
They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts.

Acts 17:30
The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent

Humanism and the Stumbling Block

Humanism- a group of philosophies and ethical views that emphasize the value and agency of human beings. Humanists generally elevate reasoning and experience over established doctrine or faith.

How do you, a believer in the gospel of Christ, tell non-believers about the Creator?
Pull out your bible, which you know to be the truth, you share the gospel and they walk away.
Hum, that didn't go so well, now what?
The lost do not want to be hit over the head with the Bible.
God is Creator and Judge!
They need to know that there is a righteous Creator who spoke the world into existence!
He alone is the Sovereign Lord of heaven and earth!
They need to know that we have been given a certain amount of days to live here on earth!
They need to know that at the end of those days is an appointed time where the Creator will judge His creation, the human being!
God created us to be in a relationship with Him!
We rebelled by replacing God with gods we made!
God demands that we repent!
They need to know that from the beginning, all men sinned and therefore were are separated from holy God!
They need to know that there is an eternal destination where the soul of man will reside, heaven or hell!
They need to know that Christ is the only way that God will forgive you!
The risen Lord Jesus has conquered sin and death!

The gospel is a stumbling block to those who have confidence in their flesh.
The gospel is the saving power of God to those who place their faith in Christ!!

Acts 17:16-34
16Now while Paul was waiting for them at Athens, his spirit was provoked within him as he saw that the city was full of idols. 17So he reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews and the devout persons, and in the marketplace every day with those who happened to be there.18 Some of the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers also conversed with him. And some said, "What does this babbler wish to say?" Others said, "He seems to be a preacher of foreign divinities"--because he was preaching Jesus and the resurrection.19 And they took him and brought him to the Areopagus, saying, "May we know what this new teaching is that you are presenting? 20For you bring some strange things to our ears. We wish to know therefore what these things mean. "21Now all the Athenians and the foreigners who lived there would spend their time in nothing except telling or hearing something new.
22 So Paul, standing in the midst of the Areopagus, said: "Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are very religious.
23 For as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription, 'To the unknown god.' What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you.24The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man,25 nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything.26 And he made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their dwelling place,27 that they should seek God, in the hope that they might feel their way toward him and find him. Yet he is actually not far from each one of us,28 for "'In him we live and move and have our being'; as even some of your own poets have said, "'For we are indeed his offspring. '29Being then God's offspring, we ought not to think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone, an image formed by the art and imagination of man.30 The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent,31 because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead."32Now when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked. But others said, "We will hear you again about this."33So Paul went out from their midst.34 But some men joined him and believed, among whom also were Dionysius the Areopagite and a woman named Damaris and others with them.

1 Corinthians 10:31
 So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.

1 Corinthians 10:18
 Consider the people of Israel:are not those who eat the sacrifices participants in the altar? 

Philippians 2:9-11
9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 
10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. 

Matthew 7:13-14
13 "Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. 
14 For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few. 

Romans 9:33
33 as it is written, "Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense; and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame." 

1 Corinthians 1:22-24
22 For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, 
23 but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, 
24 but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 

Romans 1:16
16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 

1 Corinthians 1:18, 24
18 For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 
24 but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 

Thank you pastor Jim!!!

Trust No One

The most important thing I can think of is where you will spend eternity!
Life truly is a vapor!
God's word teaches all you will need to know!
You alone must read and study what the word says!
God will reveal it to you if you truly seek Him!
Trust no one, you must read it for yourself, your eternity depends on it!
There are many, yes even in the pulpit, who deceive!
God is a God of mercy but He will judge those who will not obey!
Christ will return, not as a merciful Lamb but as a conquering King, to destroy all those who deny Him!

Conviction of sin....
Romans 3:20
For by works of the law no human being will be justified in his sight, since through the law comes knowledge of sin.

Justification through Christ by faith....
Gal.2:16
yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified.

Gal. 2:19-21
19 For through the law I died to the law, so that I might live to God.
20 I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
21 I do not nullify the grace of God, for if righteousness were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose.

Need for a Savior....
Romans 3:9-13
9 What then? Are we Jews any better off? No, not at all. For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin,
10 as it is written: "None is righteous, no, not one; 
11 no one understands; no one seeks for God. 
12 All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one." 
13 "Their throat is an open grave; they use their tongues to deceive." "The venom of asps is under their lips." 

Romans 3:18
"There is no fear of God before their eyes." 

Romans 3:23-25
23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
24 and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,
25 whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins.

The flesh....
Romans 7:14-25
14 For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am of the flesh, sold under sin.
15 For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate.
16 Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good.
17 So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me.
18 For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out.
19 For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing.
20 Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me.
21 So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand.
22 For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being,
23 but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members.
24 Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?
25 Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin.

Sanctified by Christ....
1 Corinthians 6:9-11
9 Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality,
10 nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.
11 And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

Being pure....
2 Corinthians 11:3-6
3 But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ.
4 For if someone comes and proclaims another Jesus than the one we proclaimed, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or if you accept a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it readily enough.
5 Indeed, I consider that I am not in the least inferior to these super-apostles.
6 Even if I am unskilled in speaking, I am not so in knowledge; indeed, in every way we have made this plain to you in all things.

Be guarded....
2 Corinthians 11:12-15
12 And what I do I will continue to do, in order to undermine the claim of those who would like to claim that in their boasted mission they work on the same terms as we do.
13 For such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ.
14 And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.
15 So it is no surprise if his servants, also, disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their deeds.

Forgive others....
Ephesians 4:30-32
30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.
31 Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice.
32 Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.

Speak the truth of the gospel....
1 Thessalonians 2:3-4
3 For our appeal does not spring from error or impurity or any attempt to deceive,
4 but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not to please man, but to please God who tests our hearts.

2 Timothy 3:16-17
16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,
17 that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.

Grace.....
Titus 2:11-14
11 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people,
12 training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age,
13 waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ,
14 who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.

Forgiveness and confession....
1 John 1:8-10
8 If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
10 If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.

Our propitiation....
I John 2:1-6
1 My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.
2 He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.
3 And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments.
4 Whoever says "I know him" but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him,
5 but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him:
6 whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.

The deceivers....
2 John 1:7
For many deceivers have gone out into the world, those who do not confess the coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh. Such a one is the deceiver and the antichrist.

Holy, Holy, Holy is the LORD of Hosts

Isaiah 6
1 In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple.
2 Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew.
3 And one called to another and said: "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!"
4 And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke.
5 And I said: "Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!"
6 Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar.
7 And he touched my mouth and said: "Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for."
8 And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?" Then I said, "Here am I! Send me."
9 And he said, "Go, and say to this people: "'Keep on hearing, but do not understand; keep on seeing, but do not perceive.'
10 Make the heart of this people dull, and their ears heavy, and blind their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed."
11 Then I said, "How long, O Lord?" And he said: "Until cities lie waste without inhabitant, and houses without people, and the land is a desolate waste,
12 and the LORD removes people far away, and the forsaken places are many in the midst of the land.
13 And though a tenth remain in it, it will be burned again, like a terebinth or an oak, whose stump remains when it is felled." The holy seed is its stump.

John 1:18
18 No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father's side,he has made him known. 

Matthew 28:3
3 His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow.

Rev.4:8
8 And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and within, and day and night they never cease to say, "Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!" 

Luke 5:8
8 But when Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord."

1 Tim. 6:16
16 who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen. 

Do we really ever consider the holiness of God?
We question God at every turn, we the clay, He the potter, without God, man would not exist!!!
We are every bit the people with unclean lips, unclean hearts, wicked motives and endless wants!!


John 12:37-43
37 Though he had done so many signs before them, they still did not believe in him, 
38 so that the word spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled: "Lord, who has believed what he heard from us, and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?" 
39 Therefore they could not believe. For again Isaiah said, 
40 "He has blinded their eyes and hardened their heart, lest they see with their eyes, and understand with their heart, and turn, and I would heal them." 
41 Isaiah said these things because he saw his glory and spoke of him. 
42 Nevertheless, many even of the authorities believed in him, but for fear of the Pharisees they did not confess it, so that they would not be put out of the synagogue; 
43 for they loved the glory that comes from man more than the glory that comes from God. 

Rev.4:8-11
8 And the four living creatures, each of them with six wings, are full of eyes all around and within, and day and night they never cease to say, "Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!" 
9 And whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to him who is seated on the throne, who lives forever and ever, 
10 the twenty-four elders fall down before him who is seated on the throne and worship him who lives forever and ever. They cast their crowns before the throne, saying, 
11 "Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created." 

Acts 28:24-28
24 And some were convinced by what he said, but others disbelieved. 
25 And disagreeing among themselves, they departed after Paul had made one statement: "The Holy Spirit was right in saying to your fathers through Isaiah the prophet: 
26 "'Go to this people, and say, You will indeed hear but never understand, and you will indeed see but never perceive. 
27 For this people's heart has grown dull, and with their ears they can barely hear, and their eyes they have closed; lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and turn, and I would heal them.' 
28 Therefore let it be known to you that this salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles; they will listen." 

Jer.10:10-18
10 But the LORD is the true God; he is the living God and the everlasting King. At his wrath the earth quakes, and the nations cannot endure his indignation. 
11 Thus shall you say to them: "The gods who did not make the heavens and the earth shall perish from the earth and from under the heavens." 
12 It is he who made the earth by his power, who established the world by his wisdom, and by his understanding stretched out the heavens. 
13 When he utters his voice, there is a tumult of waters in the heavens, and he makes the mist rise from the ends of the earth. He makes lightning for the rain, and he brings forth the wind from his storehouses. 
14 Every man is stupid and without knowledge; every goldsmith is put to shame by his idols, for his images are false, and there is no breath in them. 
15 They are worthless, a work of delusion; at the time of their punishment they shall perish. 
16 Not like these is he who is the portion of Jacob, for he is the one who formed all things, and Israel is the tribe of his inheritance; the LORD of hosts is his name. 
17 Gather up your bundle from the ground, O you who dwell under siege! 
18 For thus says the LORD: "Behold, I am slinging out the inhabitants of the land at this time, and I will bring distress on them, that they may feel it." 

Ponder these words as you pray to a holy God, maker of all things and the one who will be your judge!!!

Lord, I have not the words to praise You! My hearts aches for the sinful and wicked things I say or think. Forgive me Lord, a person with an unclean heart and a soul who longs to know You more. Sear my heart and mind with the hot coals of Your word. Amen

The Lord Alone Is God

Deut.4:32-40
32 "For ask now of the days that are past, which were before you, since the day that God created man on the earth, and ask from one end of heaven to the other, whether such a great thing as this has ever happened or was ever heard of.
33 Did any people ever hear the voice of a god speaking out of the midst of the fire, as you have heard, and still live?
34 Or has any god ever attempted to go and take a nation for himself from the midst of another nation, by trials, by signs, by wonders, and by war, by a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, and by great deeds of terror, all of which the LORD your God did for you in Egypt before your eyes?
35 To you it was shown, that you might know that the LORD is God; there is no other besides him.
36 Out of heaven he let you hear his voice, that he might discipline you. And on earth he let you see his great fire, and you heard his words out of the midst of the fire.
37 And because he loved your fathers and chose their offspring after them and brought you out of Egypt with his own presence, by his great power,
38 driving out before you nations greater and mightier than yourselves, to bring you in, to give you their land for an inheritance, as it is this day,
39 know therefore today, and lay it to your heart, that the LORD is God in heaven above and on the earth beneath; there is no other.
40 Therefore you shall keep his statutes and his commandments, which I command you today, that it may go well with you and with your children after you, and that you may prolong your days in the land that the LORD your God is giving you for all time."

Mark 12:32 
"Well said, teacher," the man replied. "You are right in saying that God is one and there is no other but him.

1 Corinthians 8:4 
So then, about eating food sacrificed to idols: We know that "An idol is nothing at all in the world" and that "There is no God but one."

1 Corinthians 8:6 
yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from whom all things came and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things came and through whom we live.

Isaiah 43:10 
"You are my witnesses," declares the LORD, "and my servant whom I have chosen, so that you may know and believe me and understand that I am he. Before me no god was formed, nor will there be one after me

The Keeper

Ps.121:2
My help comes from the Lord who made heaven and earth! 

Bold verse and what does it mean?
Our confidence is in the Lord alone, man fails!
God alone is able to bring to completion all His will!!
He alone is the eternal preserver of man's soul!

Ps.121:

1 I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come? 
2 My help comes from the LORD, who made heaven and earth. 
3 He will not let your foot be moved; he who keeps you will not slumber. 
4 Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. 
5 The LORD is your keeper; the LORD is your shade on your right hand. 
6 The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night. 
7 The LORD will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life. 
8 The LORD will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore.

Jude 1:24
Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy

Eph.3:20

Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us,

The Urgency of Eternity

What would you say if I asked you this question?
Where will you spend eternity?
Would you stammer and tell me to get lost, would you say, well I never really thought about it or would you say, there is no heaven or hell, when you die, that's all there is!
Well, before you answer, let me tell you this, your eternity answer depends on your response to Jesus!

2 Thessalonians 1:8-9

8 in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. 
9 They will suffer the punishment of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might,

Hell is a real place reserved for those who deny Christ!
It is a place of....
continual rebellion
final separation
eternal duration

Heaven is a place prepared for those who trust Christ for salvation.
It is a place of....
full reconciliation
complete resurrection
ultimate reunion

Phil.3:20
20 But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ

Will you turn from Christ or will you trust Christ?

John 3:16
16 "For God so loved the world,that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

You can live without Christ now and die without Christ forever
                                       OR
You can die with Christ now and live with Christ forever

In sharing the gospel, speak about these things!

Things that pass away.... Temporal
Jobs, possessions, lust, etc

Things that never pass away.... Eternal
Following Christ and His commands

Tell the lost about hell, speaking with humble confidence about God's character, about having a healthy fear of God's judgement and with honest compassion about God's wrath.

Share about heaven with the lost by giving the honest truth that Christians are sojourners here and our home is with God.
Christ is coming again!
We only have hope and salvation through Christ and His Resurrection and we humbly wait for His return.
Speak the gospel with clear and plain words, teaching about turning from sin to Christ and putting your trust in Him alone for salvation.
Let the Holy Spirit work, giving then time to be alone with God and His word.

Make disciples.....


Matthew 28:16-20
16 Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. 
17 And when they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. 
18 And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 
19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 
20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age."


Thanks pastor!

Utter Despair

To the lost and grieving....

1 Peter 5:6-7
6 Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, 
7 casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.

Psalm 90:12 Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom


As I struggle with grieving the loss of my brother, I am reminded of sinners who struggle with being lost.
They mistakenly think the things of this world will give them joy!
They are searching for something to make them happy, to give them peace and to take away the pain of despair.
For me and countless other Christ followers, these things are found in the Lord, peace, happiness with what you have been given and the value of suffering and what it produces in you when you are humble!
When you are separate from God, you will have no lasting peace, no joy, no contentment and no understanding of patience working with suffering to produce perseverance.
But by these things, suffering, strife, no peace, we will driven to God!
Sheer joy to know the full pardon which was brought by Christ alone and freely given to all who will believe and obey!
To understand what this knowledge means and the undeserved  joy we have been given by a precious Savior!
When you share the gospel with someone and they push you away, just know that God uses every word for His purpose.
He will weave those threads into a miracle you may or may not see.
When you are ridiculed because of the gospel, count it as joy for the Lord knows your heart!

The promise....
Hebrews 6:19 
We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain,

Psalm 119:116 
Sustain me according to your promise, and I will live; do not let my hopes be dashed.

1 Peter 5:12-14
12 Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. 
13 But rejoice insofar as you share Christ's sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed. 
14 If you are insulted for the name of Christ, you are blessed, because the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you


Romans 5:1-6
1 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 
2 Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 
3 More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 
4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 
5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. 
6 For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly.

I can only speak from God's word, knowing that it is truth! You will be tested by various trials, and God alone will deliver you! Some test will be short, some long, others will bring you to your knees! Stand firm in the Lord!

Lord God Almighty, we stand firm in the knowledge of who You are! Full well knowing that You alone are good! You alone are sovereign Creator and King and You never change! Amen

Eyes of the Dead

I have seen many people dead at the funeral home, all pasty white, eyes shut as if they are sleeping, but you can tell it’s not a normal sleep!
Recently, we had the privilege of taking care of my brother who was dying of cancer.
He was a Christian but still had many questions about his impending death, about eternity and about how we only have our faith in Christ's mercy for salvation!
It's hard to watch a loved one die, knowing there is nothing you can do.
My brother died Tuesday the 18th.
In the few days before his death, I had noticed that he had started fixing his eyes on something unseen, staring but not seeing, and that his eyes had begun to get a vacant look.
The day he died, you could look into his eyes and tell his soul had left, there was no life in them, no spark, no remembrance, just nothing!
He had gone into eternity!
This puff of life we have is but a vapor!!
God's design is for the soul to be eternal!
As my brother was leaving this earth, he shouted hallelujah!!
With his last breath he was praising God!
To be able to glorify His name as you go to the heavenly realm to finally see Him face to face is joy unspeakable!
I miss my brother so much, I grieve at the loss of him but I would not want him back here, he's at home now!

Ps.89:48
What man can live and never see death? Who can deliver his soul from the power of Sheol? Selah




Ecc.9:5
For the living know that they will die, but the dead know nothing, and they have no more reward, for the memory of them is forgotten.

Job 14:10 But a man dies and is laid low; man breathes his last, and where is he? 

Job 30:23

For I know that you will bring me to death and to the house appointed for all living

Our hope....

Job 19:25-26
25 For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last he will stand upon the earth. 
26 And after my skin has been thus destroyed, yet in my flesh I shall see God,

Acts 2:24
God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because it was not possible for him to be held by it.

Acts 17:31 
For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising him from the dead."

We are....
Colossians 2:12 
having been buried with him in baptism and raised with him through your faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead


God has total control over death! He has given our Savior Jesus Christ dominion over death and it will be utterly destroyed!

Ezekiel 37:1-14

1 The hand of the LORD was upon me, and he brought me out in the Spirit of the LORD and set me down in the middle of the valley; it was full of bones. 
2 And he led me around among them, and behold, there were very many on the surface of the valley, and behold, they were very dry. 
3 And he said to me, "Son of man, can these bones live?" And I answered, "O Lord GOD, you know." 
4 Then he said to me, "Prophesy over these bones, and say to them, O dry bones, hear the word of the LORD. 
5 Thus says the Lord GOD to these bones: Behold, I will cause breath to enter you, and you shall live. 
6 And I will lay sinews upon you, and will cause flesh to come upon you, and cover you with skin, and put breath in you, and you shall live, and you shall know that I am the LORD." 
7 So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I prophesied, there was a sound, and behold, a rattling, and the bones came together, bone to its bone. 
8 And I looked, and behold, there were sinews on them, and flesh had come upon them, and skin had covered them. But there was no breath in them. 
9 Then he said to me, "Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, Thus says the Lord GOD: Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they may live." 
10 So I prophesied as he commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they lived and stood on their feet, an exceedingly great army. 
11 Then he said to me, "Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. Behold, they say, 'Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are indeed cut off.' 
12 Therefore prophesy, and say to them, Thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I will open your graves and raise you from your graves, O my people. And I will bring you into the land of Israel. 
13 And you shall know that I am the LORD, when I open your graves, and raise you from your graves, O my people. 
14 And I will put my Spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I am the LORD; I have spoken, and I will do it, declares the LORD."

Rev.1:17-18

17 When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. But he laid his right hand on me, saying, "Fear not, I am the first and the last, 
18 and the living one. I died, and behold I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of Death and Hades.



Praise be to God for our glorious gift of Christ the Redeemer!!! Amen

A Drink Offering Before the Lord

Numbers 28:7
7 Its drink offering shall be a quarter of a hin for each lamb. In the Holy Place you shall pour out a drink offering of strong drink to the LORD.

Ephesians 5:2
2 And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

The Israelite people, God's chosen ones, made appointed sacrifices, some burnt offerings and some poured out before the Lord God, to atone for sin. But God in His mercy sent a spotless Lamb to atone once and for all time. This Lamb, who knew no sin, took all sin on Himself, to satisfy the wrath of God toward us.

Is.53:3-11

3 He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. 
4 Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. 
5 But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed. 
6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned--every one--to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. 
7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth. 
8 By oppression and judgment he was taken away; and as for his generation, who considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people? 
9 And they made his grave with the wicked and with a rich man in his death, although he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth. 
10 Yet it was the will of the LORD to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. 
11 Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities.

If these words do not speak to your heart, there is something so wrong in your spirit.
Such a great debt is owed to our Savior, by me and by you. Because of that debt we must tell the world about Christ and His precious gospel of hope.

Ps.116:4-14

4 Then I called on the name of the LORD: "O LORD, I pray, deliver my soul!" 
5 Gracious is the LORD, and righteous; our God is merciful. 
6 The LORD preserves the simple; when I was brought low, he saved me. 
7 Return, O my soul, to your rest; for the LORD has dealt bountifully with you. 
8 For you have delivered my soul from death, my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling; 
9 I will walk before the LORD in the land of the living. 
10 I believed, even when I spoke, "I am greatly afflicted"; 
11 I said in my alarm, "All mankind are liars." 
12 What shall I render to the LORD for all his benefits to me? 
13 I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the LORD, 
14 I will pay my vows to the LORD in the presence of all his people. 

Lord, we praise You. Help us teach the world what a gift Your salvation brings to all who will bow and except. Amen

The Forgiven

Everything that has a soul is under judgment!
There is not one person who will not be judged by Almighty God!
He is our Creator and has given us commands to follow.
But in His mercy toward us, He gave us eternal life through Christ Jesus for all who will believe on Him alone for salvation.
An eternal gift, not based on our merit but on the power of Christ, being wholly God, wholly man.
Christ, being the only acceptable blood sacrifice substitute, paid our debt before God, accepting the whole wrath of God, sealing us by His blood!
Our mission here on Earth is to preach the saving gospel of Jesus!

Mark 4:12
so that "they may indeed see but not perceive, and may indeed hear but not understand, lest they should turn and be forgiven." 

2 Cor.4:4-6
4 In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.
5 For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake.
6 For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

Who are you in Christ?

Mark 4:13-20
13 And he said to them, "Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables?
14 The sower sows the word.
15 And these are the ones along the path, where the word is sown: when they hear, Satan immediately comes and takes away the word that is sown in them.
16 And these are the ones sown on rocky ground: the ones who, when they hear the word, immediately receive it with joy.
17 And they have no root in themselves, but endure for a while; then, when tribulation or persecution arises on account of the word, immediately they fall away.
18 And others are the ones sown among thorns. They are those who hear the word,
19 but the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it proves unfruitful.
20 But those that were sown on the good soil are the ones who hear the word and accept it and bear fruit, thirtyfold and sixtyfold and a hundredfold."

Christ and the gospel....