Archive for the ‘Lent’ Category
Fifth Sunday of Lent-Mar 17
13
Mar
Matt. 5:27-30 Thou shall not commit adultery-God commanded the children of Israel not to commit adultery because it destroys the marriage relationship by dividing the affection of the one committing adultery and destroys the trust of the other marriage partner. However, Jesus said You have heard it said, “You shall not commit adultery. But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart” It is not the act of adultery that destroys the marriage relationship but the lust that precedes the act itself. When someone lusts after another, they have already set in motion the thoughts that lead to the act and even if they never commit the act itself, they have already violated their marriage vows to love only their spouse by fostering love for someone outside the marriage in their heart. See “The Value of Family and Gender” in Udemy at https://www.udemy.com/course/value-of-family-and-gender/?referralCode=B59AC09CACA5C0C97BDD
Fourth Sunday of Lent-Mar 10
13
Mar
(Matt 5:21-26) Jesus said, “You have heard it said…., you shall not kill….., but I say to you, everyone who is angry with his brother shall be liable to judgment.” It is not killing that creates division, it is the anger that precedes the killing that creates the division and God hates anything that creates divisions among His people. Therefore, Christ says that we should not be angry with our brethren. While few church people are guilty of murder, there are many who are angry with each other and won’t speak to each other. You can not regulate hate because it can be hidden and not easily observed, so the law must forbid killing. However love goes beyond the Law. He who loves his brother will not hate him and so will not desire to kill him so the law forbidding murder will never be applied to them, however the law must still exist to control those who do not love each other and are liable to kill someone in order to prevent them from doing so or to punish them if they do. Love is only learned as God changes our heart. See “The Value of Life” on Udemy at https://www.udemy.com/course/christian-values-life/?referralCode=5EA3B1D6ED6DAB183AD0
Third Sunday of Lent- Mar 3
05
Mar
God wants us to not only love those in the body of believers but unbelievers as well. God may not like what they do, but He loves them as much as He loves us. He reached out to us when we were sinners and we should do the same to those who are still sinners and do not know Him yet. Hopefully they will come to know God’s love as we extend God’s love to them and they will leave their sinful ways and accept Christ as their Savior. God did not love us based on whether we accepted Him and our love for others should not be based on their acceptance of Christ. God loves us because He created us and He loves them for the same reason. That includes even those we don’t like. Matt. 5:43-48. Jesus said, “you have heard it said, love your neighbor and hate your enemy but I say unto you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you so that you may be sons of your Father in heaven”. Our desire should be to be like God and God loves all people, not just those who love Him and He desires that we should do the same. It is God’s desire that none are lost and perhaps as we love our enemies and pray for them, we may lead them to desire that love also. By so doing, we may not only gain a friend, we may draw a soul into the kingdom of God. The people of the first century saw Christians love for one another and were drawn to the church.
Second Sunday of Lent-Feb 25
21
Feb
If We Love God Jesus said the greatest commandment is “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind. (Matt 22:37)That means all of us. If we truly love God, we will glorify Him and magnify His name through worship. Too often today, worship seems empty and unfulfilling because we do not see the glory of God and do not see any reason to praise Him. As God’s people support and encourage each other, we will see reasons to praise God for what He is doing in the church. However, many churches today are little more than collections of people because they never get to know each other and support each other during trials. We are often so wrapped up in our daily activities that we don’t take time to get out and explore God’s creation. Too often we are so engulfed in the material world that we see little of God around us. Unless we go to the park or the countryside, we see little of God’s creation. Unless we walk with Him and experience His presence, we have little concept of His glory and see little reason to praise Him. We need to take time to get away and experience the quiet and majesty of His creation.
First Sunday of Lent-Feb 18
15
Feb
Must Grow-Many people feel that a new believer is suddenly transformed into a good and holy person when they are saved. Some even feel that baptizing them as an infant makes them a good and holy person. Yet, though the Bible talks about us being Born Again, it does not grant us instant spiritual maturity. A Christian who is Born Again needs to grow up and mature just as a new baby does. Preaching alone will not do it, just as a child doesn’t learn how to live through weekly lectures from his parents, he only learns facts. A boy learns how to be a man and how to treat a woman through watching his father and a girl learns how to be a woman and how to treat a man through watching her mother. A girl learns what a man should be by watching her father and a boy learns what a woman should be by watching his mother. We have so many problems today because kids have very little opportunity to observe their parents. Christians need to observe more mature Christians to learn how to walk with Christ but very few churches provide that opportunity anymore. Many high school graduates act very immature today because our society expects students to learn how to live by listening to lectures in school and it doesn’t happen. Many Christians still act like unbelievers because they have never had the opportunity to learn to walk with Christ.
Ash Wednesday-Feb 14
12
Feb
Ash Wednesday-A received its name from the fact that Christians used to place ashes on their forehead as a symbol of mourning. The color for today is black symbolizing mourning because it is a time when we mourn our sin that caused Christ to die on the cross. The penalty for sin is death but Jesus paid the price to redeem us from the power of sin and death that we might have life. Some people give up something for Lent as a sacrifice to remind them of the price Christ paid, but Christ wants us to put sin out of our life all year, not just during Lent. Lent is a time to ask Jesus to cleanse us of all that is displeasing to Him. If fasting or sacrificing something helps to remind you of the cost Jesus paid, then do it but if it is just a ritual that doesn’t mean anything, find something that will. It should never be done as an open display of our piety before men, but should be done privately between us and God.
Sermon-Seek Ye First-video
11
Aug
Many Americans today are seeking prosperity, hoping it will bring happiness, but God has a better plan.