For His Glory
The Bible describes God as a Good, Good Father
WRONG IDEAS ABOUT GOD, THE FATHER
Thankfully our Good, Good Father:
Is Full of Grace
Is Perfectly Just
Sets boundaries for those He loves
Is Pleased with His children
And Desires to be intimately involved in His children’s lives.
He is truly a Good, Good Father!
Our Adult Choir did a great job presenting For the Sake of Love – An Easter Musical. Click/Tap the listen button to enjoy it again.
Alive Again – Great!
1 Corinthians 15:50-58
#1. GREAT TRANSFORMATION vv.50-53
For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first.17 After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage one another with these words. 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18 (NIV)
#2. GREAT VICTORY vv.54-56
He will swallow up death forever! The Sovereign Lord will wipe away all tears. He will remove forever all insults and mockery against His land and people. The Lord has spoken! Isaiah 25:8 (NLB)
#3. GREAT THANKSGIVING v.57
But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 15:57 (NIV)
#4. GREAT CHALLENGE v.58
Alive Again – New Bodies!
1 Corinthians 15:35-49
#1. TWO QUESTIONS
But someone may ask, “How will the dead be raised? What kind of bodies will they have? 1 Corinthians 16:35 (NLT)
#2. THREE EXAMPLES
I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase. So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase. Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour. 1 Corinthians 3:6-8 (KJV)
#3. ONE IMAGE
Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. 1 John 3:2 (NIV)
1 Corinthians 15
#1. THE POWER OF THE GOSPEL.
For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile. Romans 1:16 (NIV)
#2. THE WITNESSES
#3. THE AMAZING UNITY OF THE TESTIMONY.
Whether, then, it is I or they, this is what we preach, and this is what you believed. 1 Corinthians 15:11 (NIV)
Moving Forward – Finishing Well
Joshua 13, 14, and 23
#1. WHEN GOD SAYS YOU’RE OLD, YOU’RE OLD, BUT YOUR’E NOT DONE.
When Joshua had grown old, the Lord said to him, “You are now very old, and there are still very large areas of land to be taken over. Joshua 13:1
#2. CONFIDENCE TO MOVE FORWARD
#3. REMEMBER THE NEXT GENERATION
Psalm 103
Bless the Lord, O my soul and all that is within me, bless His Holy Name.
Bless the Lord, O my soul and forget none of His benefits.
He forgives all your sin; He heals all your diseases.
He redeems your life from the pit, He crowns your with faithful love and compassion.He satisfies you with goodness, your youth is renewed like the eagle.
This is a Psalm of David that is a song of praise. In this Psalm David does not request anything. He simply praises his God.
I wonder how long you could talk to the Lord without asking for anythings? <- try it out
In verses 1-5, David mentions three things to remember that lead to a life that remembers to praise God.
1. Forgiveness Psalm 103:3
2. Redemption Psalm 103:4
3. Satisfaction Psalm 103:5
It Is Well
Bethel Music
Verse 1
Grander earth has quaked before
Moved by the sound of His voice
Seas that are shaken and stirred
Can be calmed and broken for my regard
Chorus
And through it all, through it all
My eyes are on You
And through it all, through it all
It is well
And through it all, through it all
My eyes are on You
It is well with me
Verse 2
Far be it from me to not believe
Even when my eyes can’t see
And this mountain that’s in front of me
Will be thrown into the midst of the sea
Chorus
Through it all, through it all
My eyes are on You
Through it all, through it all
It is well
It is well
Bridge x3
So let go my soul and trust in Him
The waves and wind still know His name (repeat last line during 3rd run)
It is well with my soul
It is well with my soul
It is well with my soul
It is well with my soul
It is well it is well with my soul x3
Chorus x2 (softly slowly)
Through it all, through it all
My eyes are on You
Through it all, through it all
It is well with me.
Mark 10:35-45 accounts the request of James and John to seat at Jesus left hand in glory. Jesus used this request to teach them a lesson about true greatness. Verses 42-45 contain 4 steps to greatness:
Summer time is a patriotic time. On Memorial Day we celebrate the brave men and women who gave the ultimate sacrifice for our country and we celebrate our nation’s birth on the 4th of July. It is truly great to be an American.
I am a patriot. I love the United States of America. I thank God that I was born in this country. I am thankful for the men and women that gave their lives to defend our freedom. As of late, I have a problem. I can’t recognize the country that I love. It is as if someone was able to take the country I love and replace it with one I don’t recognize. Our country is plagued with civil unrest, racial tension and the current sexual revolution. As a Pastor, I have to ask myself what can I and my church do to reclaim the country we love. There are no easy answers, but the suggestions below are a good place to start:
This should be the starting place for every American believer. We have access to the power of God through prayer. In Ephesians, chapter 1, Paul is praying for the Ephesian believers when he writes,
I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which He has called you, the riches of His glorious inheritance in His holy people, and His incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength He exerted when He raised Christ from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. Ephesians 1:18-21
Pray often, specific, and passionate prayers to the only One that brings lasting change and revival to our great country.
In all likeliness it is going to get worse before it gets better. In 2 Timothy 3:1-5 Paul describes the terrible time in the last days:
“But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people.”
These verses, though written long ago, describe the days we are living in. This is no time for “Casual Christianity.” It is time for the Church of Jesus to be ready and informed to be change agents in our society. One place I turn to keep informed about current events is a daily podcast entitled, The Briefing, by Dr. Albert Mohler. Dr. Mohler informs the listener about current news issues from a Christian worldview. He is insightful and does an amazing service to the Christian community by helping Christian leaders and believers interpret the times we live. Try it out at www.albertmohler.com
This is not time for believers in Jesus Christ to be silent. Some of the problems we see in our culture today are caused by the church being silent too long. Once we understand what is happening in our culture we must know the truth contained in the Word of God and speak up for what is right. Read how Jesus prayed for His disciples and for us.
My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. Sanctify them by the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world. For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified. John 17:15-19
In Ephesian 4:15, Paul writes about the attitude we should have as we stand for that which is true:
“Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of Him who is the head, that is, Christ.”
Taking a stand for the truth and communicating that truth in a loving manner is a power tool in the hand of our Heavenly Father. While we may not recognize the land that we love, we can be part of the solution. God is not done with the United States of America. We are still “One Nation under God.”
This article by Sean Vickers originally appeared in The Dalhart Texan.
Ephesians 3:14-21
#1 POSTURE OF THE HEART Ephesians 3:14-15
#2 PRAYER FOR POWER THROUGH THE SPIRIT Ephesians 3:16-17a
#3 POSSESSING MEASURELESS LOVE Ephesians 3:17b-19
#4 GOD’S POWER TO DO THE IMMEASURABLE Ephesians 3:20
#5 PRAISE FOR OUR GOD FOREVER Ephesians 3:21
Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen. Ephesians 3:20-21 (NIV)