God

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Experience God’s Love In Jesus

God, Message / By /

If you’ve had to opportunity to watch children, I’m sure you’ve noticed that they live in a world of their own. Children aren’t interested in how much money is left in the check book at the end of month. They simply expect food on the table when it’s time to eat. Children aren’t interested in the difficulties you had with your boss this week. They want you to come and play with them. You see, children can’t come into your world, they don’t really understand it. So, we as parents must come into our children’s world to show them our love.

Even as adults, we too are children of our heavenly Father and we really can’t understand everything about God who dwells in heaven. NIV Isaiah 55:8 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the LORD. Yet as children, we need to experience our Father’s love. As children, we’ve been disobedient and become estranged from our Father. And as children, there’s nothing that we can do to make things right

So, at Christmas, 2000 years ago, God the Father took the first step toward His disobedient children. He sent His only Son Jesus into the world of His children. And Jesus was sent, not simply as a divine being, but fully human as well. For us to understand Him, He came as a baby who grew into adulthood. The story is so familiar that we don’t appreciate the how mind-blowing it all is. God Himself became a human baby.

Why did Jesus come to earth this way? So that you and I could experience God’s love. Today, my Christmas message is entitled “Experience God’s Love In Jesus.” God wants you to experience His love in Jesus. Although Jesus came for everyone, not everyone experiences His love. Experiencing God’s love is the greatest thing in life, it’s the greatest thing in eternity. NIV 1 John 4:10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. God sent His Son Jesus to be born into our world and ultimately to be put to death by the people He came to love. Jesus came into our world, knowing that He would experience death on a cross. Yet, through that death, He would make it possible for God’s disobedient children to be brought back into the Father’s house.

So today, we’re going to take a little time out of the busyness of the season. We’re going to reflect on how God showed His love to us at Christmas. As we do, my prayer is that each one of us would experience for ourselves, God’s love in Jesus in a fresh way.

To hear more about this topic, listen to my December 24, 2006 message entitled Experience God’s Love In Jesus

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Discover Hope For Your Life

God, Message / By /

Christmas is a season of hope. Children are hoping that it snows. Adults are hoping that it doesn’t snow. Some people are hoping they’ll get a certain gift. Others are hoping that their relatives won’t fight on Christmas Eve. All kinds of hopes. These kinds of hope are wishes that something good will happen. Sometimes these kinds of hopes come true, sometimes they don’t. These kinds of hope are based on people’s wishes, a very uncertain foundation for hope.

The Bible talks about a different kind of hope, a hope that is not centered within yourself and your situation, but a hope that is centered on God. The hope of the Bible is centered on the person of Jesus Christ NIV Romans 15:12 … Isaiah says, “The Root of Jesse [Jesus] will spring up, one who will arise to rule over the nations; the Gentiles will hope in him.” The prophet Isaiah prophesied in the Old Testament that a Messiah, a King of Kings, would one day come. This King, who was to rule over the nations, would not be just for the nation of Israel, but the rest of the world. The Gentiles would put their hope in Him.

The kind of hope that is centered in Jesus is not just a wish. The hope that is centered in Jesus is a certainty. Hope in Jesus provides stability for your life and your eternity. This Christmas, what are you hoping for? Perhaps you are hoping that next year will be better than 2006. Perhaps you are hoping that you will get that pay raise. Perhaps you are hoping that someone you love will be healed from a sickness. Most people’s hopes have no object, they are simply hope in hope.

The hope I am going to talk about today is a hope with an object, a hope centered in the person of Jesus Christ. My message today is entitled “Discover Hope For Your Life.” In this message, we are going to be taking a look at the wise men or magi that came to worship Jesus. How can those magi be an example to you and I in our quest for hope? If there are situations in your life that appear hopeless, if there is someone you know who has little hope in life, than this message is for you.

To hear more about this topic, listen to my December 17, 2006 message entitled Discover Hope For Your Life

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Developing A Thankful Attitude

God, Message / By /

This week is Thanksgiving, a day to celebrate the goodness of God in our lives. It’s a day to remind us of all the things we have to be thankful for. Thanksgiving is not the only day of the year we should be thankful. In fact, thanksgiving should be a continual attitude in our lives.

Today, I’m going to talk about “Developing A Thankful Attitude.” A thankful attitude does not come naturally, it’s something that must be developed with God’s help. NIV Psalm 107:1 Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever. The first thing this verse teaches us is that thanksgiving has an object, thanks is to be directed to a person, in this case to the Lord. A thankful attitude is directed to God, for His goodness and love. A believer who has a thankful attitude gains many benefits in their life. Being obedient to God’s command to be thankful, brings His blessing on your life. Being thankful to God helps you be thankful toward people as well. Being a person with a thankful attitude will work wonders in your relationships, in your family, at work and in the church.

What’s the opposite of being thankful? It’s being ungrateful Neither God nor other people like being around an ungrateful person. Let’s see how thankful a person you are. I’ve come up with a test consisting of three questions with three possible answers which will tell if you have a thankful attitude.

First question: You are in the ten item, cash only line at ShopNSave with your two cans of green beans and one can of Campbell’s Cream of Mushroom Soup with a fresh $20 bill from your ATM machine in your hand. The person in front of you has fifteen items and a checkbook in their back pocket. How do you respond? A. Gratitude for the Green Bean Bake your family will enjoy. B. Grit your teeth and wonder if the guy ahead of you failed math or reading. C. Yell at the cashier, “Checkout Line Violation — 15 items! 15 items!”

Question two: You are driving your daughter to school, and as you drop her off, the car in front of you decides to just park there, trapping you in the school parking lot. How do you respond? A. You look out the window and give thanks for this time to stop and smell the roses and car fumes. B. Grab the steering wheel tighter as steam comes out of your ears. C. Honk your horn continuously until you sound out “move your car” in Morse code.

Third question: The election is just over and your candidate or issue did not win. What is your attitude? A. Thank God that you live in a free country and were able to vote. B. Go around with a scowl on your face for a month. C. Put a sign on your work cubicle which says, “Supporters of _____________ stay out.”

If you had all As that’s great, if you had a few Bs or Cs then you need to listen up today. NIV 1 Thessalonians 5:18 Give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. It is God’s will for you to develop a thankful attitude, it is God’s will for you to give thanks in all circumstances. Today, we’re going to go through a passage in Philippians 4 verse by verse to see how you and I can develop a thankful attitude.

To hear more about this topic, listen to my November 19, 2006 message entitled Developing A Thankful Attitude

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The Encouragement Of Easter

God, Message / By /

What a great day to be alive, Easter 2006. Many of the symbols we have of Easter are about new life: rabbits, eggs, flowers and springtime. However, Easter is not just about life, it is about life from death. Easter is about resurrection. The true meaning of Easter is the historical fact of the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead 2000 years ago.

Easter means that Jesus is alive today and that gives us joy and hope. Jesus said in NIV Revelation 1:18 I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! The resurrection of Jesus Christ means that you can have hope in this life. No difficulty is too hard for God to overcome. The resurrection of Jesus Christ means that you can have hope in life after death. Even death is not the end for the believer. Just as Jesus rose from the dead, so we as believers will one day also be resurrected.

Today I want to talk about “The Encouragement of Easter.” Do you need encouragement this morning? I know that I do. Perhaps you’re going through difficult times or someone you know and love is in difficulty. Your problems may be spiritual, emotional, physical, financial, relational or something else altogether. Whatever you’re going through, Jesus wants to encourage you this Easter.

This morning we’re going to look at the a man named Thomas, often referred to as doubting Thomas. After Jesus rose from the dead, some some of the disciples saw him alive but Thomas doubted. He didn’t believe, he thought everyone was deluded, his hope was gone. Perhaps some of you can identify with Thomas this morning. We’re going to look at how Jesus encouraged Thomas this morning and as we do, let Jesus encourage your heart.

To hear more about this topic, listen to my April 16, 2006 message entitled The Encouragement Of Easter

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Experience The Power Of The Cross

God, Message / By /

Next week is Easter and I’m looking forward to it. What is it about Easter that is so encouraging? Why is Easter the most attended Sunday of the year in churches? Maybe it has something to do with the season. Spring is a beautiful time of year but I believe it’s more than that. Easter is special because God’s power to overcome any obstacle was demonstrated when Jesus was raised from the dead.

In order for there to be an Easter, there first had to be a cross. That’s what we’re going to talk about today. Today my message is entitled “Experience The Power Of The Cross.” The cross of Christ is at the heart of Christianity. In the cross of Jesus, the power of God was released. You and I need to experience the power of God in our lives. NIV 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.

Life is complex, life is challenging, life throws you curveballs that you can’t handle. We need God’s power in our lives and to experience that power we need to get near the cross. There were four soldiers who crucified Jesus near the cross, but they were there out of duty. We need to draw near to Jesus’ cross, not out of duty, but out of love for Him, out of love for what He has done for us.

Today we’re going to look at three people who were near the cross to the end. They were near to the cross because they loved Jesus. Each one experienced the power of the cross in their own lives. Mary Magdalene was there, she found freedom near the cross. Mary, Jesus’ mother, was there, she received a reward near the cross. Finally John, the disciple that Jesus loved was there, he discovered direction. Today, let’s draw near to the cross, not just to study ancient history, but to experience it’s power in our own lives.

To hear more about this topic, listen to my April 9, 2006 message entitled Experience The Power Of The Cross

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Worshiping When You Don’t Feel Like It

God, Message / By /

Today my message topic is “Worshiping When You Don’t Feel Like It”. Sometimes God seems a million miles away. Sometimes you can’t sense the presence of God. You pray, but nothing seems to happen. Things may be going wrong in your life, but God doesn’t seem to be around. Just like the lady in our picture, you feel all alone and it’s a rainy, blue day. In those times, you don’t feel like worshiping God, you may even begin to feel like God doesn’t care about you.

A lot of people don’t believe that God cares about them at all. Others believe that God only cares about them when their lives are going well, but if things are difficult, evidently God doesn’t care about them. In the Bible, David sometimes complained that God seemed distant. NLT Psalm 10:1 O LORD, why do you stand so far away? Why do you hide when I need you the most? Have you ever felt that way? You’re in trouble, yet God just doesn’t seem to be around. You can’t feel His presence and things aren’t getting better in your life. You don’t feel like worshiping at those times, do you?

Some people draw away from God and church when they begin to feel that God is not helping them and they feel that God’s presence is remote. However, that is not the right choice. To run away from God when you don’t sense His presence will lead to disaster. When you feel low, when you feel like God is out there on a galaxy light years away, God wants to teach you about faith. God wants to teach you about continuing to worship, about continuing to trust, about continuing to do the right things even when you have no experience of God.

NLT Psalm 143:7-8 Come quickly, LORD, and answer me, for my depression deepens. Don’t turn away from me, or I will die. Let me hear of your unfailing love to me in the morning, for I am trusting you. Show me where to walk, for I have come to you in prayer. Here David is depressed, God seems far away, so what does he do? He prays, he trusts and he draws near to God in prayer. He worships even when he doesn’t feel like it.

To hear more about this topic, listen to my April 2, 2006 message entitled Worshiping When You Don’t Feel Like It

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