Jesus' Triumphal Entry

A Blessed Palm Sunday to all. Our scripture reading was Mark 11:1-11. We covered Jesus' Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem. When did Jesus ride into Jerusalem? One week prior to His crucifixion (Jn. 12:1 & 12:12). This ride is very important to our faith because it was the fulfillment of the prophesy of Zechariah (9:9). Scripture that was written some 400-500 years earlier. All four gospels share this story of Jesus' ride into Jerusalem, on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey. Jesus was entering Jerusalem as a poor and humble servant not as a king to conquer by force. It was time to make public his claim as the messiah and the King of Israel. Prior to His ride he had told his apostles to be silent about His works (Mt. 12:16 & 16:20). He was met with songs and praises of Hosanna. The people laid their robes on the ground before him, a tradition just for king's (2 Kings 9:13). They recognized Jesus as the son of David but they were looking for a deliverer not the messiah. They wanted Jesus to lead a revolt against Rome. They were looking for temporal deliverance not eternal. Their shouts of joy would soon turn to cries of "Crucify Him"(Lk. 23:21) just a few day's later, when He refused to lead a revolt against Rome. Jesus was not there to conquer by force He was there to conquer hearts by Love, Grace, and Mercy. As a sacrifice for His people. I asked everyone if Jesus has conquered their heart's and if He was their Lord and Savior. I also asked everyone to reflect on the price Jesus paid for our salvation. What an awesome God we serve that He would send His son to die for our sins, of which none of us are worthy of. Next week is Resurrection Sunday may God Bless you and may everyone be reflective of the price Jesus paid for us.

All Hail King Jesus

Wow, another tearful service. The Holy Spirit moved in a mighty way last night. Our scripture reading was Matthew 26:17-30. I had a hard time reading it as i welled up in tears and choked up. The night our Lord and Savior was betrayed and killed. We were taking a look at Passover, Good Friday, and Easter (Resurrection Day). The four gospels confirm that Jesus was betrayed during Passover (Mt. 26:17-30, Mk. 14:12-16, Lk. 22:7-15, and Jn. 19:14). We looked into how God foretold us of Christ's death during Passover. We examined the similarities of the lamb, sacrificed during Passover and Jesus, and the prophetic look we had through the Passover meal. We examined why we call it Good Friday when something so tragic happened that evening. Our answers are in Romans 5:8 and 1 Pt. 3:18. Jesus died for us while we were still sinners and he is alive in the Spirit. We moved on to Easter and the European traditions that distorted and commercialized the most Holy day in Christianity. We talked about the Pagan rituals that were introduced to the early church and how the name Easter came to be. I explained the importance of Resurrection Day and pointed it out in scripture, 1 Cor. 15:17 and Rom. 6:4. The sermon was fueled by the Holy Spirit and many eyes were in tears, including mine. Prayer was offered by Robin and more tears flowed from all. Our God is so awesome and when He touches our souls we can only cry remembering the sacrifice He made for us. A sinless man not deserving of the cruel torture and horrid death we put him through. I asked all to ponder what Jesus did for us. I also asked everyone to rent the Passion of the Christ and view it this week. We shared the Lord's Supper and moved on to praise and worship. Praise God, we had music this week. Thank you Donna for bringing in your CD's. I was so Spiritually drained I could not close in prayer. Terry volunteered to close our service and once again the tears started flowing. Many stayed after the service to fellowship. Thank you to Pastor Ron for "enlightening" me. I love you dearly. Till next week, may the Lord our God be with all.....

The Bond Of Not Forgiving

A powerful message was delivered Sunday night. Delivered by God through this messenger. A message for everyone including myself. A message of forgiveness. Our scripture reading was Matthew 18:21-35. I opened with why it is necessary to forgive, what stops us from forgiving, what forgiveness is and what forgiveness will do for us.
There are five reasons we tend not to forgive someone. Revenge, Pride, Self Pity, Emotional Pain, and Not knowing how to forgive. All are real barriers in the forgiving process. Forgiveness is a choice but our Lord commands us to forgive. What God commands He enables.
Forgiveness is rooted in God's Grace and Mercy.(Ephesians 2:8-9) We picked through the parable of the King and servant and likened it to God's forgiveness of us. The King forgave the servant of a debt he could never pay (around 12 million dollars). Just as God forgave our sins. Our sins are so great we could never "repay" our debt to God.
We are to forgive as we are forgiven. Freely and unconditionally, it is likened to "canceling the debt" as the King did for the servant. We shouldn't dwell on it, plot revenge, criticize, give the silent treatment, or avoid that person. Because God forgave us we are obligated to forgive others.
Postponed forgiveness leads to resentment, anger and bitterness. It will destroy you. It effects our relationship with God and spills over to other relationships. It's that "chip on our shoulder".
Personal repentance and confession need to take place to start the healing process and to set yourself free. We need to bear the burden (James 2:13) and forgive from the heart (Matthew 18:35) to set ourselves free from the bond of un-forgiveness. I asked everyone to close their eyes and picture someone who has hurt them and ask themselves "Have I forgiven that person from my heart?".
The Holy Spirit was in the building, tears were flowing, and the message was felt by everyone including myself. Now I ask, do you have a "chip" on your shoulder? Set yourself free. Forgive them from your heart.
God Bless everyone....

Get Back In The Closet

Good day everyone. Blessed it is. Last night was another Spirit filled evening. Our scripture reading was short but a powerful one. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 We discussed our "Prayer Closet" and our "Quiet Time" and the intimate relationship that God wants to have with us. God wishes to have a intimate relationship with us and as in any relationship we need "alone" time with one another. Choose a prayer closet, a place where you can have alone time with the Lord. Set aside the same time of day, choose a place, eliminate all distractions, expect it to be hard at first, and give yourself some grace. It's not going to be easy at first but with time it becomes so rewarding. To your "Quiet Place" bring, your bible, a spiritual note book, and a prayer journal. Why? Remember our scripture reading? God's Word is good for teaching, correcting, rebuking, and training. Our scriptures are how God speaks to us. Write down what God has said to you about His Word, His Will, Himself, and what you may need to do to adjust your life to do His will. In your prayer journal write your prayer requests, the date, answer, and that date. How do I get started? Begin with prayer. Ask God to open your eyes, heart mind and to reveal Himself to you. Read your bible. Choose a chapter and read it. Remember All scripture is good. Study what you have read. Look for the author of the letter or book, the recipients, it's context, and what did it mean to whom it was written? Write this in your journal and include what the passage means to you. If it applies, how can you adjust your life to come in line with God's will. If you read Psalm 37 verse 21 "the wicked borrow and do not repay, but the righteous give generously" and it applies to you what must you do? Repay the debit and align with what God 's will is. A intimate relationship. In summary Get in the closet, Express your gratitude, Confess your sins, Worship Him, Admit who is in control, Pray, Read your bible, Examine what you have read, Correct you ill's, and align with God. The result: An Intimate Relationship with God...... Thank you to Pastor Bob Montgomery for the inspiration and bases of this sermon and thank you to my brother Bill for sharing it with me. Till next week God Bless you all are in my prayers.