Beautiful Savior
One thing I ask … to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord… (Psalm 27:4)
Matthew 25:1-13 sermon
“Believer, Keep Watch!”
Fellow saints, Jesus says to you: “I am coming soon. Hold on to what you have, so that no one will take your crown… ” (Revelation 3:11)
I remember the large cans on nonperishable foods – fruits, vegetables,etc. I remember the bundles of bottled water. The flashlights and batteries. The powdered milk and vitamins. The First Aid Kit. It was December of 1999. We were prepared for Y2K. My mom seemed to be in charge of it all and built up our supplies over several months. But, as you know, Y2K came and went without any problem.
Recently, my wife read a fiction book where all the electricity got wiped out by an EMP (electromagnetic pulse). Cars wouldn’t start, planes wouldn’t fly. Water supplies don’t work. Cell phones, computers, telephones, heat and air conditioning, refrigerators – none of those function. No hospital service, no emergency services, no credit cards or banks. And the list goes on. If it happened today, people presume most of us would die of starvation (see http://www.newsmax.com/RonaldKessler/emp-attack/2009/09/09/id/334894). So my wife said to me with a straight face, “We should really prepare for this now – or we could just go to your mother’s…”
Today, Jesus speaks to us about an even more important preparation that must be done now Read more of this post
Matthew 25:31-46 sermon, “Live Out the Last Day Difference”
Sometimes it’s just seeing a smile or having someone listen. That’s all it takes to make your day different. Sometimes it’s bigger – a new job, getting accepted into certain school, marriage, a child, or even an accident. Such things make a difference on the rest of your life. This morning, we’re not just going to talk about what makes a difference in our lives, but when they make a difference. Normally, the only way to know something made a difference in your life is after the fact. We look back at the past and how it has shaped our life today.
But with God, things work differently. He alone can speak of future things and yet the difference is immediate. You can immediately act on his Word because God always does what he says. His promises are a good example. They are different from all other promises because as soon as he says it, it’s as good as done. Only in God can we be so confident.
Only with God’s Word do things change so much simply because it’s God who speaks it. His Word is always transformational, changing us and making big differences in our lives – even when speaking about the future! We’d all agree that big changes are coming on the Last Day…but because these are Jesus’ words, the difference starts Read more of this post
2 Timothy 4:9-18 meditation, “The Lord Will Rescue Us”
And do what they will – hate, steal, hurt, or kill – Though all may be gone, Our victory is won; The kingdom’s ours forever. Amen.
“I also dare to boast… I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. 24Five times I received from the Jews Read more of this post
Matthew 16:13-20 meditation, “You are Peter – Like a Rock!”
Here it comes, powering its way up the side of a steep cliff, engine roaring. Its large wheels mow over large rocks and stones and tree limbs, forcing its way through thick brown mud and across large pools of a river – and all this while towing some huge load of boulders. And then the music kicks in and the pulls up to an angled stop in front of you on the top of a mountain and you hear, “Like a rock – oh, like a rock!”
Chevy built a long advertising campaign for its trucks around the picture of a rock. They wanted the theme stuck in your head that Chevy trucks are like a rock. They can endure a beating and not fall apart. The trucks are built to last. So they tell you that their truck is “like a rock.”
Do you remember what Jesus said to Simon Peter when they first met? Read more of this post
Romans 5:6-8 sermon, Remember 9/11
What have you learned from 9/11? What have we learned as a nation from 9/11? We learned about tragedy, trouble and death. We learned of horrific evil and what it looks like up close. Our nation learned what a terrorist is. We learned heartache and sorrow.
In preparation for this day of remembering 9/11, I came across a statement made by Nobel Peace Prize winner Mikhail Gorbachev shortly after 9/11: “The hour of trouble must not become an hour of despair” (http://www.thecommunity.com/crisis/gorbachev1.html). So I ask, Read more of this post
Matthew 14:22-33 sermon, “Not Sink. Not Swim. Walk!”
22 Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd. 23 After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, 24 but the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it. 25 During the fourth watch of the night Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake. 26 When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear. 27 But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.” 28 “Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.” 29 “Come,” he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. 30 But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!” 31 Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?” 32 And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. 33 Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”
Sink or swim.
Most people would commend “swimmers” like our north Georgia poultry farmers. Instead of sinking and crumbling under the pressure of a suffering industry, a local poultry farmer has learned to swim. He’s learned to “deal with it.” Rising costs for feed by 70% in the last year when a five pound chicken will eat 8 pounds of feed; rising costs for fuel; not to mention that demand is low since foreign markets aren’t looking for as much protein in their diet. Link those things to the current worldwide economic crisis and you have yourself some hard times. But the farmer keeps going. He doesn’t know what else he would do. Most people would commend him. At least Read more of this post
BSLC E-news, 9.2.11
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BSLC e-news, 8.1.11
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8.1.11 A “Praise” Moment |
| Jesus reveals the Father. When Jesus rejoices, he reveals the Father’s rejoicing. You and I can learn about what pleases God and gives him joy through his Son, Jesus.In Luke 10, Jesus sent out 72 disciples as workers in the harvest field to every city and village where he was headed. When they returned to him, they were rejoicing that demons submitted to them in Jesus’ name. His response? “Do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but that your names are written in heaven.”Then, full of joy in Read more of this post |
Matthew 11:25-30 sermon
“Take the Yoke of Jesus” 1. It’s easy and light 2. It can be refused
This hiking pack isn’t exactly a yoke, but it sure can become a burden. It started out with 65 lbs. of food, clothes, equipment, camping gear and a tent and sleeping pad on the outside. “No problem,” I thought. But two miles later I was sluggish and sweaty. You know the feeling – new aches and pains, from my shoulders to my hips to my knees to my feet. After four miles over 2 ½ hours, we reached the campsite, but I don’t think I could’ve gone another ten minutes.
With that pack on in those minutes, I was working hard for every step. That is what you call “weary and burdened.” Having a heavy burden that simply wipes you out – you simply can’t handle it. It’s impossible for you. “Weary and burdened” is not sustainable for our bodies. And it doesn’t work for our souls either. Read more of this post
