Great title to hold! He owns the air…no substance…fake…false! The old devil is slick, so you better watch out! That slickness is disguised in Satan’s deceit. He is the father of lies, the prince of dung and is out to rob, kill and destroy you…and we need to get that into the front of our heads! There is the world, the flesh and the devil, but the devil is the one who misuses the other two and takes advantage of their inherent weaknesses to make you weaker. Our example is Jesus, who resisted every attempt of Satan to tempt Him. Sadly, far too many followers of Christ have given in to the temptations of having power and control. They give in and end up in false doctrines and sin. So let Satan grasp at “air” – you stick to the solid, immovable, pure and glorious power of God to combat the world, the flesh and the devil. (Scripture reference: Ephesians 2:2) [Sermon Originally Recorded: 02/15/12] Image Referenced in SermonIf you have never put your complete faith in Jesus Christ for your eternal salvation, why not believe what God's word says and call on Jesus Christ to save you right now? Click here and let us show you how you can KNOW JESUS.
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Do you really know what Jesus has done for you? Have you thought recently on the importance of being “saved” and your punishment for your sins—GONE, ERASED, ADJUDICATED by the shed blood and death of Jesus? I hope your hearts will be touched greatly as we share today and you will be blessed with a renewal of the knowledge of the power and importance of the gift God gave us with His Son Jesus. Knowing that you were saved from hell and damnation by a God who loved you even when you didn’t love Him! Read over John 3:1-21 and think on what Jesus has done…not just as INFORMATION but as something that can deepen your love relationship with Him. His love for us is proven…is yours? As you look at some of these names/titles of Jesus, may your picture of Him and understanding of what He has done for you be ever so sweet --
What a God we serve…all hail to Jesus Christ our LIVING Savior!! [Please watch video below, "John 3:16 - The Story of Love", before you listen to the audio of this morning’s message. References to this video are made by Pastor Pugsley. The audio of "For God So Loved The World" is below the video.] If you have never put your complete faith in Jesus Christ for your eternal salvation, why not believe what God's word says and call on Jesus Christ to save you right now? Click here and let us show you how you can KNOW JESUS. http://www.heartlight.org/ Part 3 of our series on life’s answers takes us on to some pretty important questions we have to ask ourselves. If you aren’t settled on the answers to these questions, then some of the solutions outlined are not going to help you. But I do hope you dive in with both feet and at least think on these things; but I do suggest you do that thinking at the feet of Jesus! The first question is “do you believe that Jesus is God?” I don’t mean Allah, or Buddha, or your ancestors or fire or lightening or the cosmos, etc. If you were believing a lie, wouldn’t you want to know it? So, it is not dueling belief systems I’m talking about here; it is what the truth is. When you know the truth, the truth will set you free. Next, do you love others as Christ loved the church; not when you feel like it or when it is convenient, but as He loved us? Read 1 Corinthians 13 again regarding what God says love entails. Do you overcome the world and its desires? This is a tough one in today’s “anything goes”, “morality is what you say it is” world! Remember, only when God is in your heart can you overcome any sin, any temptation, and any foolish decision that may come your way. Lastly, do you know that eternal life is in Jesus Christ? Eternal…now that’s a long, long time! Have you really thought this one out? If you know those answers, then you are on the road to not only knowing life’s answers, but living them! [Scripture Reference: 1 John Chapters 1-5] If you have never put your complete faith in Jesus Christ for your eternal salvation, why not believe what God's word says and call on Jesus Christ to save you right now? Click here and let us show you how you can KNOW JESUS. Previous "I Found The Answer" Messages© http://rblog.thebowmans.us/ Matthew 5:48 “Therefore, you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” Oh great…Jesus is telling me to be perfect like He is!! No way!!! For most of us, that seems a measure we can’t meet…or is it? God won’t tell us to do something He knows we can’t (or at least not without His help). So what does it mean? If we look at the original meaning of the word “perfect” we can see that it is not telling you to be morally perfect (nice goal though!) or to be sinless (another nice goal). God knows, because of the Adam nature, we won’t be. No, the Greek word used is teleios, meaning having reached its end, finished, complete, whole, or mature. It’s really more about your “graduation” than your “grades”, so to speak. What does this “maturing and completing process include…well, one of the best ways to see Jesus' perspective on perfection is to look at Jesus’ “Sermon on the Mount” as recorded in Matthew chapters 5 through 7. Jesus shows us His side of the story and how we can be complete to meet that measure. The point made is that we CAN be perfect like He is perfect…meaning COMPLETE, FINISHED, WHOLE, and MATURE! Jesus really covered it all! Go on now, what are you waiting for…start your engines! If you have never put your complete faith in Jesus Christ for your eternal salvation, why not believe what God's word says and call on Jesus Christ to save you right now? Click here and let us show you how you can KNOW JESUS. PRINT OR VIEW HAND OUT BELOW© www.123rf.com Neil Armstrong (the first man to set foot on the moon) said, as he took his first step on the moon, “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” As we look back to this monumental accomplishment for the human race, we remember the incredible effort it took to make this happen – the well thought-out plans, engineering and physical labor were astonishing. Man left earth to set foot on a separate heavenly body (the moon) in the summer of 1969. But the greatest leap of all mankind – past, present, future, and for all eternity – actually occurred over 2,000 years ago. In the small town of Bethlehem, Jesus was born. God incarnate stepped down from the heavens. “‘The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel’ – which means, ‘God with us.’” (Matthew 1:23) “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (John 1:14) This is what God did for this world because He loves us so much. Today, man needs to take a leap of faith on his journey to salvation and seek out the Face of God through Jesus Christ. If you have never put your complete faith in Jesus Christ for your eternal salvation, why not believe what God's word says and call on Jesus Christ to save you right now? Click here and let us show you how you can KNOW JESUS.
© Melinda Nagy | Dreamstime.com Suffering is real, whether we caused it or not. The point is when it is physical suffering, we are willing to suffer a bit more in order to get it fixed so it won’t interfere with our full functioning anymore. Will you have a scar? Many times you will. Does the scar hurt like the original injury? Not usually…but it is a vivid reminder of what happened. Hopefully a reminder that helps you not do the action again that caused the injury. In following a life in Christ, there is much suffering because we are trying to live a fully functional life with broken parts and pieces. We cannot do it without pain. The more we give to God, the more He can fix. The suffering will never go away completely because the journey requires a total makeover. But what an awesome difference when we begin to walk with some of the broken parts fixed! How can we do that? God gives us ample guidance in the Scriptures (quick summary is found in Part 1):
The sufferings of Christ might make us wince and say, “Ouch, that hurts!” A surgeon or a medical doctor may often have to hurt you to fix you. But how much more effective result we will receive when it is not just a broken bone or disease that will be removed to bring you a small amount of comfort, but a whole, totally new part that will bring freedom, faith and a future with God. Remember, suffering has value when you have the right view concerning it…and then it can bring you to victory. (Due to technical malfunction with our recorder, the first few minutes of this evening's message did not record. The recording begins five minutes into the message. Pastor Pugsley is giving a review of Part 1 of this series.)
PRINT OR VIEW HAND OUT BELOW. © Melinda Nagy | Dreamstime.com God doesn’t want us to suffer, but it is inevitable because this isn’t heaven! We are faced with:
Many do complain that God is unfair, that this earth is a mess because of Him, that suffering is His mistake…but I want us to take another look at “suffering”. I don’t mean suffering because of the common problems of the day…most of which we bring on ourselves with poor decisions in the realm of health, finances, relationships, etc. What I’m talking about is an “attitude” about suffering…what’s yours? Where does “suffering” come into your understanding of the truths of God? Are you angry, confused, or just plain old neutral? Romans 14:8 “for if we live, we live for the Lord, or if we die, we die for the Lord; therefore whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s.” Is that your attitude? Not hardly, but it can be! Suffering is real, whether we caused it or not. The point is when it is physical suffering we are willing to suffer a bit more in order to get it fixed so it won’t interfere with our full functioning anymore. Will you have a scar? Many times you will. Does the scar hurt like the original injury? Not usually, but it is a vivid reminder of what happened. Hopefully, it will be a reminder that helps you not do the action again that caused the injury. In following a life in Christ, there is much suffering because we are trying to live a fully functional life with broken parts and pieces. We cannot do it without pain. The more we give to God, the more He can fix. The suffering will never go away completely because the journey requires a total makeover. But what an awesome difference when we begin to walk with some of the broken parts fixed! How can we do that? God gives us ample guidance in the Scriptures:
May we be willing to say, “Bring it on!” And God keep us with His mercy. Amen. LISTEN TO AUDIO:PRINT OR VIEW HAND OUT BELOW.Most assuredly, we are witnessing a cultural shift in our society today—a movement from what is morally right in the sight of God to what is morally corrupt and wrong. If you live in diminished light long enough, you begin to believe that obscurity, ambiguity, and obtuseness are rather normal, but in time this deprivation will show its ugly face. For example, if you place a blooming plant which requires full sun into a heavily-shaded environment, you will soon observe the ill effects of it yielding fewer or no blooms and declining health. In like manner, God created man to walk with Him and bear fruit in the light through Jesus Christ, the Light and Life of the world. I can just hear multitudes saying to themselves, “There must be a better way”—and there emphatically IS! His name is JESUS! In Matthew 4:16, Matthew quotes from Isaiah 9:2, “The people who were sitting in darkness saw a great light, and to those who were sitting in the land and shadow of death, upon them a light dawned.” The light was JESUS. The book of Hebrews mentions the word “better” 13 times, all referring to Jesus—the better way, the better truth, and the better Life for those who walk in obedience to Him. Audio: (Click forward button below to play audio of sermon and/or download file.)
Personal Testimonies: Prior to the morning's message, Pastor Mark opens the floor to life testimonies. It is great encouragement to hear how the Lord is working in each of our lives. Click the forward button below to play the personal testimonies of Pastor Mark and others and/or download file.)
Long before His miraculous birth on earth, Jesus was involved in the creation of all that we see on earth and what we cannot see in the universe and the expanse beyond. He was with the Father in the beginning and Hebrews 1:1,2 tells us that “God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and many ways, in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, Whom He appointed heir of all things, through Whom also He made the world.” John wrote about His beginning. “What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we beheld and our hands handled, concerning the word of Life–” (I John 1:1) The Ancient of Days, the Alpha and Omega, the First and the Last, Jesus Himself declared to a group of self-righteous Jews, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am.” (John 8:58) How marvelous and gracious that our heavenly Father had a plan from the beginning, through Jesus, to redeem those who confess Him as Lord and Savior. Audio: (Click forward button below to play audio of sermon and/or download mp3 file.)
Personal Testimonies: Prior to the morning's message, Pastor Mark opens the floor to life testimonies. It is great encouragement to hear how the Lord is working in each of our lives. Click the forward button below to play the personal testimonies of Pastor Mark and others and/or download mp3 file.)
Approximately 700 years before the birth of Christ, Isaiah declared, “The people who walk in darkness will see a great light; those who live in a dark land, the light will shine on them.” (Isaiah 9:2) In verse 6 he continued, “For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; and the government will rest on His shoulders; and His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.” Every soul on earth not walking with Jesus, walks in darkness, without life, and without hope, for Jesus told us, “I am the light of the world; he who follows me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.” (John 8:12) Zacharias (father of John the Baptist), filled with the Holy Spirit, prophesied about Jesus and said, “Through the tender mercy of our God; whereby the Dayspring from on high hath visited us, to give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.” (Luke 1:78, 79) Dayspring means rising of the sun; the dawn. What illuminates your life–the world with its darkness or the light of the Dayspring? Audio: (Click forward button below to play audio of sermon and/or download mp3 file.)
Personal Testimonies: We had a wonderful blessing at the end of our service today. One of our young members walked in as Pastor Mark was finishing the morning’s message. Seaman Josh Turner, United States Coast Guard, just finished his basic training in New Jersey and returned home for a week before his new assignment in Seattle begins on the USCG Cutter Mellon. Listen as he tells how God is blessing his life. Pastor Linda Pugsley and Ted Marshall commend Josh on his service to God and country. (Click the forward button below to play the personal testimonies and/or download mp3 file.)
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