“In a world of some discouragement, sorrow and overmuch sin, in times when fear and despair seem to Prevail, when humanity is feverish with no worldly physicians in sight, I too say, TRUST JESUS. Let him still the Tempest and ride upon the storm. Believe that He can lift Mankind from its bed of Affliction, in Time and in Eternity”.
~Jeffery Holland
In John 16:33, Jesus said “in this world you will have trouble”. We turn on our radios and televisions, and all we seem to hear and see are bad things. Some events are so evil I just bow my head, say a prayer and if I linger to long…..the tears will begin to flow.
I write this evening to tell you about a man! His name is Jesus Christ, the Lord of Lord and King of Kings! As Elder Holland states above, “let Him still the tempest and ride the storm”. Jesus said in 1 Peter 5:7 to cast all your cares upon Him, because He cares for you.
Through every trial, hurt, anxiety, fear, pain, sorrow, guilt….I could, of course go on and on, where in a world filled with afflictions, sometimes our problems seem never ending. But we can call on Jesus! In Luke 18:38, a blind beggar called on Jesus and by his faith, Jesus restored the man’s eyesight! This scripture is for us all! In the very same way, we too can call on Him for He is our best friend, companion, physician, deliverer and our blessed redeemer!
It is so very hard to live in this world today without thinking about and becoming anxious all of the bad that’s going on around us. But I’m here to tell you today God is in control. Hebrews 12:2 tells us “look to Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith”. We must continue looking to Him, lifting up His precious Name, trusting and believing….in and on Him. He has promised to never leave us or forsake us. We have nothing to fear. Through our faith in Jesus Christ we are more than conquerors, we are over-comers.
Last Sunday my Pastor stated he awoke from a dream where he was in a pulpit preaching God’s Word and he remembered the words to the congregation were, “it is written.” Immediately I thought about all the times I have seen these very words in the Bible. I remember hearing, if you see words or phrases over and over again in God’s Word, then it must be important and God wants you to know it. God’s Word will never pass away. We serve a Great and Mighty God who sent His Word, a love letter to each of us, a life manual. When you read and study His Word, you can know any and every thing you need to know. It is all there…right in the infinite pages of the Bible. When things seem to hard to handle, life is just too much to take, I challenge you to open your Bible and pray to the Holy Spirit to help you know His Word. His Living Word. It will guide you, lift you, sustain you and help you through every need you have. Whatever the circumstance, good and/or bad….His Word will help you and it will also help you to help others. Make it a priority to open and read the Word every day. God is the same yesterday, today and forever! Christ Above All by Dr. Charles Stanley, a great piece on worrying less and trusting God more! When you have faith in Jesus you can make it through every day. By loving Him and surrendering your life to Him you will learn how to turn bad news into PRAYERS! God hears the praises and prayers of His children and God also answers the prayers of His children.
Give life’s trials to Jesus. Pray for others. Listen to God’s Word. Use the power of the Holy Spirit that lives within you. TRUST Jesus.
If you are reading these words and you don’t know Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, if you are overcome with worry, guilt, sorrow and pain…I urge you to heed Jesus’ call. He is waiting on you with open arms. The only thing between you and Him is your willingness to step out in faith and call on Him. Let Him transform you from the inside out. Jesus did it for me and He wants to do it for you too! Accepting Jesus is only a prayer away. Ask Him to forgive you of your sins, believe He died and rose again for you, repent and receive Him into your heart! I am praying for you and there is a crowd in Heaven waiting to rejoice!
*Sermon notes taken from my Pastor and Shepherd, Brother Bobby Gilley of The South Gastonia Church Of God. Pastor Gilley truly deserves the credit for this lesson and I know he would agree with me in thanking God for this message and that we both continually give all the Glory to God for His precious Word.
Psalm 20:1-5
May the Lord answer you in the day of trouble;
May the name of the God of Jacob defend you;
May He send you help from the sanctuary,
And strengthen you out of Zion;
May He remember all your offerings,
And accept your burnt sacrifice.
Selah
May He grant you according to your heart’s desire,
And fulfill all your purpose.
We will rejoice in your salvation,
And in the name of our God we will set up our banners!
May the LORD fulfill all your petitions.
A Spiritual Parallel
Have you declared independence from what you were born into? Being born into sin, Jesus tells us we must be “born again”.John 3 -This lesson parallels the United States Declaration of Independence with our Spiritual lives through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Independence Day – July 4, 1776 – the Declaration of Independence was adopted by Congress.
There are several parts to the Declaration of Independence and this lesson will give some “spiritual” parallels to the declaration.
1. Preamble – An opening statement to the Constitution of the United States. This paragraph stated facts of what the United States will have, once independent from England.
Spiritual Preamble – John 3:16 – This verse explains what we will have, if we believe.
John 3:16 tells us we can be forgiven of ALL our sins through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ whom God our Father sent. Once we confess our sins, repent (turn away) from these sins and then believe on Jesus’ work on the cross and His resurrection, He comes to live in our hearts and He sets us free from the bondage of sin. Of course this is only the beginning of a brand new abundant, joyous and peaceful life for us while we are here living on earth. Along with our Salvation through Jesus, John 3:16 tells us of an eternal life in Heaven! Praise God, through our Savior we can live eternally! What a revelation!
2. Declaration of Rights – The first 10 amendments to the Constitution make up the Bill of Rights. This list of rights tell us as citizens of the United States, there are certain rights that cannot be taken away from us.
Our Heavenly Father doesn’t want anyone in this world to perish. He wants His children to live eternally with Him. This is His reason for creating each and every one of us!
John 3:16– For God so loved the world, He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes would not perish, but have everlasting life.
But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation.
God loves you! I can’t explain His love! I just can’t do it. But one thing I know, you can experience this most wonderful love. Romans 10:13 says “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” God demonstrated this love by sending his son Jesus to die on a cross. Jesus bore all our sins upon himself. His death and resurrection paid a debt we can never pay ourselves. By asking for forgiveness and accepting Jesus into our hearts we become a child of God. Jesus’ shed blood on Calvary cleanses us and gives us new and eternal life. Once we give our lives to God, no longer is there a need to fear this life, because it will pass. When we leave this world we can have an assurance that the next face we’ll see will be Jesus! This is how much God loves you!
Psalm 108:11As high as the sky is above the earth,so great is his love for those who honor him.
What an awesome promise from our Heavenly Father. I don’t know about you, but I can’t begin to tell you how high the sky is from the earth. That’s a lot of love! When stating God is Love, you should understand this is His very nature! His love is not really an attribute. For us humans we think of love as an emotion. More times than not, we expect something in return for love we give. But the unconditional love of God is so much more than that. God’s love is free, it’s not “caused”. He loves us in spite of our sinful selves. Our tiny minds cannot understand the concept of God’s love for us. It is an eternal love whereas God said in Jeremiah 31:3 – I have loved you with an everlasting love; Therefore with lovingkindness I have drawn you. He loved us before the foundations of the world were set – Ephesians 1:4-5. To God be the Glory! How blessed are the children of God? We love Him because He first loved us – 1 John 4:19.
He loves you! He loves you! He loves you!
God’s love is a life-giving love. A happy, fulfilling and peaceful life.
An eternal life with Jesus when you accept him into your heart!
The old English expression for the word Good meant Holy. Holy Friday. Good Friday. A very dark day for Jesus Christ. A day that had to be. Without the death of Jesus there could be no resurrection. There would be no joyful celebration on Easter Sunday. There would be no fulfillment of God’s eternal plan for the whole world. There would be no John 3:16. Continue reading Crucified, Resurrected and Coming Again→
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