Belief, Unbelief, Worship

Thank you Pastor David! Our worship of Christ is a reflection of our belief in Christ! When Jesus went to His hometown, the people heard His words, saw His works even still they denied Him worship. What an example of unbelief!
Matt.13:54-58
54 and coming to his hometown he taught them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished, and said, "Where did this man get this wisdom and these mighty works? 55 Is not this the carpenter's son? Is not his mother called Mary? And are not his brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? 56 And are not all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all these things?" 57 And they took offense at him. But Jesus said to them, "A prophet is not without honor except in his hometown and in his own household." 58 And he did not do many mighty works there, because of their unbelief.No matter your circumstance, Jesus is there! Will you deny Him or will you worship Him? We must reflect His compassion and rely on His resources. Jesus alone is our soul's satisfaction! He meets our needs, He is a greater prophet than Moses and He is the Messianic host. Jesus will use us to meet the needs of others! Will you receive His blessing?Matt.14:14-2114 When he went ashore he saw a great crowd, and he had compassion on them and healed their sick. 15 Now when it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, "This is a desolate place, and the day is now over; send the crowds away to go into the villages and buy food for themselves." 16 But Jesus said, "They need not go away; you give them something to eat." 17 They said to him, "We have only five loaves here and two fish." 18 And he said, "Bring them here to me." 19 Then he ordered the crowds to sit down on the grass, and taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and said a blessing. Then he broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. 20 And they all ate and were satisfied. And they took up twelve baskets full of the broken pieces left over. 21 And those who ate were about five thousand men, besides women and children.Faith in the face of fear...Jesus is sovereign over you.Jesus is interceding for you.Jesus is present with you.Jesus is strength in you.Jesus is peace around you.Matt.14:24-3324 but the boat by this time was a long way from the land, beaten by the waves, for the wind was against them. 25 And in the fourth watch of the night he came to them, walking on the sea. 26 But when the disciples saw him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, "It is a ghost!" and they cried out in fear. 27 But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, "Take heart; it is I. Do not be afraid." 28 And Peter answered him, "Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water." 29 He said, "Come." So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus. 30 But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, "Lord, save me." 31 Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?" 32 And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. 33 And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, "Truly you are the Son of God."Christ is faithful!Heb.12:1-2 1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Fall at the feet of the One who saves the perishing!! Feast at the table with the One who satisfies the hungry!!Ex.3:13-14 13 Then Moses said to God, "If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, 'The God of your fathers has sent me to you,' and they ask me, 'What is his name?' what shall I say to them?" 14 God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM." And he said, "Say this to the people of Israel, 'I AM has sent me to you.'"Lord, we really don't have a clue as to who You are. Our human mind can not truly grasp Your glory and wonder. We only know what You have chosen to reveal to us through Your word. Forgive us for our feeble attempts at worship. For You alone are worthy! Amen

There is No God Beside Me

Deut.32:39 "'See now that I, even I, am he, and there is no god beside me; I kill and I make alive; I wound and I heal; and there is none that can deliver out of my hand.
There is only one true living God! He is maker of all things! His ways are not our ways! He is just in His judgments! He has great mercy for those who will repent! He will destroy those who will not repent! Who is this God we serve? He is not a figment of out hearts desire but real! He has sent His Son Jesus to be our redeemer. Here is a small part of His story! These things take place before His birth!
Luke 1:31-33,35,37,41-45,46-50
31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end."35 And the angel answered her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy--the Son of God.
37 For nothing will be impossible with God."
41 And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, 42 and she exclaimed with a loud cry, "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! 43 And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. 45 And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord." 46 And Mary said, "My soul magnifies the Lord, 47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, 48 for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant. For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed; 49 for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name. 50 And his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation.Lord, teach us who You are! Reveal the things You have given to us. Show the world through us! Amen

Length of Days

What will you do with your length of days? God has granted you an amount of time, written down before you came to be. These days are not ever to be lived again. It lets me know the truth of the verse "today is the day of salvation". Why? Which one of you can say "I will be here tomorrow"? If God is speaking to you about your eternity, why would you not listen? If your whole world is in turmoil, you are so unhappy, you have no love of people just things, you have lost your way, and you are just plain miserable, open that bible, written in it are words leading to eternal life and eternal rest, words that came straight from God Almighty. Christ follower, let us proclaim the gospel loud and clear!


Deut.30:14-15 14But the word is very near you. It is in your mouth and in your heart, so that you can do it.15"See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil.
Deut.30:19-20
19I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and curse. Therefore choose life, that you and your offspring may live,20loving the LORD your God, obeying his voice and holding fast to him, for he is your life and length of days, that you may dwell in the land that the LORD swore to your fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them."
2 Cor.6:2 For he says, “In a favorable time I listened to you, and in a day of salvation I have helped you.” Behold, now is the favorable time; behold, now is the day of salvation.
Ps.139:16 Your eyes saw my unformed substance; in your book were written, every one of them, the days that were formed for me, when as yet there was none of them.Prov.3:2 For length of days, and years of life, And peace, will they add to thee.Ps.90:10 The years of our life are seventy, or even by reason of strength eighty; yet their span is but toil and trouble; they are soon gone, and we fly away.Ps.91:16 With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation.”
Lord, how very precious are the days You have given us. Show us the eternal things that we should teach others. Prepare hearts for the spread of Your gospel truth so lives may forever be changed! Amen

Unshakable,Inseparable,Supernatural and Eternal

Definition of unshakable: Strongly felt and unable to be changed
Definition of inseparable: Impossible to separate or part
Definition of supernatural: of or relating to an order of existence beyond the visible observable universe
Definition of eternal: Time without beginning or end; infinite time
Unshakable:
Heb.12:24-29
24 and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.
25 See that you do not refuse him who is speaking. For if they did not escape when they refused him who warned them on earth, much less will we escape if we reject him who warns from heaven. 26 At that time his voice shook the earth, but now he has promised, "Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens." 27the removal of things that are shaken--that is, things that have been made--in order that the things that cannot be shaken may remain. 28 Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, 29 for our God is a consuming fire.Inseparable:Romans 8:37-39 37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.Supernatural or eternal:2 Cor.4:16-18 16 So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. 17 For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, 18 as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.John 3:14-17 14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.
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. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.We live in a mortal body that will decay! We have within us an immortal soul that will go to an eternity of rest or torment! There are eternal consequences to being born in sin. God has prepared a way for us to escape Hell. We have a Savior in Christ who will take your burden of sin and cleanse you from sin. Sin that separates us from a holy God and sin that damns you to Hell. Unbeliever, you are walking on borrowed time.Lord, so many lost, so many who do not repent, so many who are in need of a Savior, Lord help me to reach them. I want to teach Your word! Only you can soften hard hearts. Only you can change a sinner! You Word is life to those who will believe! AmenPs.23:3-4 3 He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake. 4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

The Spirit is Willing but the Flesh is Weak

Mark 14:38 Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.

If you are a believer, you are indwelled by the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit was sent to us after Christ died and rose again. The Holy Spirit convicts us of our sin. Therefore, having the Holy Spirit living in us, it grieves our Spirit when we sin.  Christians are not always living righteous lives, even though we want to be. Paul seems to have schizophrenia as he describes the struggle between the spirit and the flesh.

Romans 7:15 For I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate.

Romans 7:18-19 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. For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing.

Our spirit and flesh are in conflict!

Galatians 5:17 For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want.

From the beginning, we have been wicked!

Gen.6:5-6 The LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the LORD was sorry that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart.

Eph.4:30-32 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, rage, and anger, brawling and slander; along with ever form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other just as in Christ God forgave you.

Lord, I pray this for all Christians that they would be forgiving and would love each other. I also ask for us to driven to deep faith in You alone, in the knowledge that You are faithful and just! Amen

But what about the unrepentant sinner who does not have the Holy Spirit indwelling in them? Do they have a moral compass, to discern right from wrong? In a sense they do because when God created man, He put in him a sense of what is true. But with this rebellion comes judgment! Even from a child, you knew what was naughty, but with wild abandonment, you did it anyway! Even as a child, you would wonder who made the earth and all that is in it!

Romans 1:18-22 The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities-His eternal power and divine nature-have been clearly seen, being understood by what has been made, so that men are without excuse. For although they knew God, they neither glorified Him as God nor gave thanks to Him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.

Salvation in Christ:

Acts 26:18 to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me.

How Do You Forgive?

We are commanded by God to forgive others as He has forgiven us! But that human side of us does not want to! So how do we get past the hurt that others inflict on us? How can we trust again? We are humbly driven to God’s word for the supernatural ability to forgive! You cannot do it on your own!
Be humbled:
Deut.8:3  And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.
Deut.8: 5 Know then in your heart that, as a man disciplines his son, the LORD your God disciplines you.
Deut.10: 16 Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no longer stubborn
Love sinners:
Mark 12: 33 And to love him with all the heart and with all the understanding and with all the strength, and to love one's neighbor as oneself, is much more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices."
Forgive as Christ does:
Matt.6:9-15 
9 Pray then like this: "Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. 
10 Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. 
11 Give us this day our daily bread, 
12 and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 
13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. 
14 For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, 
15 but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
Mark 11: 25 And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses."
Ephesians 4:31-32 Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.
Eph.4:32 Be kind and  compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you
John 14:27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
Trust:

Romans 15:13 Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Prov.3:5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart; and lean not to your own understanding

Not forgiving leads you to temptation:
Gal.6:1 Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted.
Forgiving a sinner:
2 Cor.2:5-11 

5 Now if anyone has caused pain, he has caused it not to me, but in some measure--not to put it too severely--to all of you. 
6 For such a one, this punishment by the majority is enough, 
7 so you should rather turn to forgive and comfort him, or he may be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. 
8 So I beg you to reaffirm your love for him. 
9 For this is why I wrote, that I might test you and know whether you are obedient in everything. 
10 Anyone whom you forgive, I also forgive. Indeed, what I have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, has been for your sake in the presence of Christ, 
11 so that we would not be outwitted by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his designs. 
Lord, help us all to forgive as You have forgiven us! Amen
The greatest act of forgiveness in my heart is that Christ, a sinless innocent, died for undeserving wicked man:
Romans 5:8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Not What You Do But What Christ Did, The Quest For Salvation

Salvation is not dependant upon what you do but rather what Christ did! You can do nothing to obtain salvation, it is a gift. A gift, in the form of a man who never sinned, who died on the cross because of obedience and necessity to satisfy the law. Obedience from a willing Son to His holy righteous Father God, and necessity because Christ was the only acceptable sacrifice! His grace and mercy is undeserved by any human! We are to share the gospel with the world and let God change hearts through His word!
Romans 9:16 So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy.
Acts 4:12 And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved."
Heb.4:12-13 

12 For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. 
13 And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.
John 4:13-14 
13 Jesus said to her, "Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, 
14 but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life."
Gal.1:11-15  
11 For I would have you know, brothers, that the gospel that was preached by me is not man's gospel. 
12 For I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ. 
13 For you have heard of my former life in Judaism, how I persecuted the church of God violently and tried to destroy it. 
14 And I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my own age among my people, so extremely zealous was I for the traditions of my fathers. 
15 But when he who had set me apart before I was born, and who called me by his grace
Gal.3:1-3 
1 O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? It was before your eyes that Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified. 
2 Let me ask you only this: Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law or by hearing with faith? 
3 Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?
Eph.2:1-10

1 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 
2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience-- 
3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. 
4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 
5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ--by grace you have been saved-- 
6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 
7 so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 
9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 
10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
1Tim.12-17

12 I thank him who has given me strength, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he judged me faithful, appointing me to his service, 
13 though formerly I was a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent. But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief, 
14 and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. 
15 The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. 
16 But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life. 
17 To the King of ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.
2 Tim.3:13-17

13 while evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.

14 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it 

15 and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 

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.

Heb.10:4-10

4 For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.

5 Consequently, when Christ came into the world, he said, "Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired, but a body have you prepared for me; 

6 in burnt offerings and sin offerings you have taken no pleasure. 

7 Then I said, 'Behold, I have come to do your will, O God, as it is written of me in the scroll of the book.'" 

8 When he said above, "You have neither desired nor taken pleasure in sacrifices and offerings and burnt offerings and sin offerings" (these are offered according to the law), 

9 then he added, "Behold, I have come to do your will." He does away with the first in order to establish the second. 

10 And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.

Heb.10:11-18

11 And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. 

12 But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, he sat down at the right hand of God, 

13 waiting from that time until his enemies should be made a footstool for his feet. 

14 For by a single offering he has perfected for all time those who are being sanctified. 

15 And the Holy Spirit also bears witness to us; for after saying, 

16 "This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my laws on their hearts, and write them on their minds," 

17 then he adds, "I will remember their sins and their lawless deeds no more." 

18 Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer any offering for sin. 

Judgement:
Heb.10:26-27 
26 For if we go on sinning deliberately after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, 
27 but a fearful expectation of judgment, and a fury of fire that will consume the adversaries
Lord, I pray for Your people to know the gospel truth, to teach the gospel truth and by Your power reproof those who would pervert the gospel. Amen