12/6/15
“The Stages of Our Faith”
Genesis 22:1-5, James 2:18-22, Matthew 8:5-10
Our heavenly father wants us to always have confidence that he will bring all his promises to pass. He wants us to completely rely upon Him, no matter what the situation or circumstance. This is because every aspect of our lives is affected by the Strength and Vitality of our Faith.
Why We Struggle with Our Faith. It’s unfortunate that, we often face many challenges to our Faith. As we encounter situations that cause us to waver or question God’s involvement in Our lives, our trust in him falter. What are some of the hindrances we experience?
They include:
Human Reason. At times, the Lord may call upon you, command you to do something that appears unreasonable, however, we will miss his blessings, if we fail to do what he ask. Remember, God does not require us to understand His will or His ways, just obey it.
Living By Sight. It is said that seeing is believing, however, the Lord usually doesn’t give us visual evidence of His activity. We must trust Him even when we don’t see Him working.
Neglecting the Word of God. Daily meditation upon scripture is vital to our Faith. The Word is the fuel of our trust in the father, because it reminds us of how He’s helped in the past.
Continuing in Sin. When we insist on holding on to Sinful habits and behavior, we lose the ability to believe God for all He wants to do in Our lives.
Satan’s Tactics. The enemy will do whatever he can to thwart Our devotion to the Lord always suggesting God will never do as He has promised. The devil is a Lie.
Rev. Jack L. Reed, Pastor
12/20/15
“Why We Celebrate Christmas”
Matthew 1:18-23, John 3:16
Christmas is the celebration of that moment in history when God came down to earth in the form of a virgin-born baby in order to reveal God’s love for fallen human kind with His death on the cross, which paid our sin debt in full; and every year we remember this truth and celebrate what Jesus did for Us. He came from heaven to earth so that we could go from earth to heaven. Once we understand the true importance of Christmas our attitude about the holiday will change. We’ll see that Jesus is the true meaning of Christmas.
What Does the Bible tell us about Jesus? The Word of God is the only true and reliable source of information about Christ the Lord. It is our guide for Faith and practice God gave us the scriptures to show us who He is and to show us the way of salvation through His Son (John 14:6).
Matthew 1:18-23 This record of Christ’s birth reveals that He was conceived in Mary by the Holy Spirit, thereby fulfilling an old testament prophecy.
Colossians 2:9 Jesus wasn’t an ordinary man “In Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form”.
Isaiah 59:1-2 The Lord is not unable to Save Sinners but Our sins have made a separation between Him and Us. Romans 3:23 tells Us we have all sinned and fallen short of God’s glory.
Romans 5:10-11 We have a tendency to compare ourselves with others and say I’m not so bad as someone else. God doesn’t see us like that Our Sins make us His enemies.
Ephesians 1:13-14 Once we have heard the message of Salvation in Christ and have believed, we are sealed with the Holy Spirit as a promise of Our eternal inheritance.
Rev. Jack L. Reed, Pastor