Posts

Seek the Lord While He May Be Found

-
Click here to listen to this sermon. “Seek the Lord while He may be found; call upon Him while He is near; let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the Lord, that He may have compassion on him, and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon” (Isaiah 55:6-7). Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ! Unless the Lord returns in your lifetime, a day will come when you can no longer gather here with your brothers and sisters in Christ—whether through personal choice, illness, incapacity, the closing of this congregation, circumstances beyond your control, or death. These possibilities remind us that the opportunity to receive the Lord’s gifts should never be presumed upon. Seek the Lord while He may be found, and call upon Him while He is near. Now, here’s the thing: most of these scenarios you don’t have much control over or say about. You can take the best care of yourself, but you can still get ill, become incapac...
Post a Comment
Read more

The King Settles Accounts

-
Click here to listen to this sermon. “ Therefore the kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who wished to settle accounts with his servants” ( Matthew 18:23). Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ! Having just heard Jesus’ words about winning back an erring brother, Peter asks, “Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him ? As many as seven times?” Peter thinks he is very generous. After all, the old Jewish teaching was that three times was enough, and even then, you only forgave someone if he or she first apologized. And generally, it was expected that the sinner had to make it up to you somehow. But Jesus raises the bar much higher: “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy times seven.” Some translations render this as seventy-seven times. Others render it as seventy times seven , or 490 times. Either way, it is a lot . But the number is not meant to be counted. It means keep forgiving. Do not keep score . D...
Post a Comment
Read more

God's Servant for Your Good

-
Click here to listen to this sermon. "Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment. For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval, for he is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer” (Romans 13:1-4). Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ! The IRS. The FBI. City Hall. The Mayor. The Governor. The President. Even the names of governing authorities can stir frustration, disappointment, betrayal, distrust, or fear. In angry and divided times, many assume that officials at e...
Post a Comment
Read more