Today we prepare to celebrate Memorial Day. Memorial Day was established in 1868 as a day to honor the fallen soldiers of the Civil Way. But Memorial Day has grown to become a solemn recognition of all of our nation’s war dead and the high price of our freedoms. As believers, we are challenged to remember those that have walked the “walk of faith” before us in a way that honored God. We are to walk that same path in remembrance of their faith and lives and follow that pat as well. Today’s message challenges us to walk God’s walk of faith in our daily lives.
Happy are the Harassed! (Matthew 5:10-12)
What is blessing it is to live in the United States. It is the land of the free and the home of the brave. Those are great words but they are being redefined daily in our modern culture. It appears that whoever has the power in culture is defining what is acceptable and those who disagree are begin silenced. This is the beginning of harassment and persecution no matter how small or tame it seems. The Bible tells us that all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus can expect persecution. The Lord emphasized this in our passage today as He was preparing us for what is coming.
Happy are the Peacemakers! (Matthew 5:9)
“Miss Congeniality” is a move about an FBI Agent posing as a beauty queen contestant to catch a criminal. During the contestant question period, each of the finalists was asked the question, “If you win, what do you want to promote during your year of being queen?” All the contestants eventually answered, “World peace!” to which the audience applauded and cheered. It seems that everyone wants peace and yet, most people have no idea how to achieve it. The Lord said, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the sons of God.” The Lord knows how to find peace and if we want it, we need to seek it as the Lord provides for it.
Mothers make lasting impacts. Godly mothers make godly impacts! (2 Timothy 1:1-7)
Mothers make Lasting Impacts. God Mothers make Godly Impacts! (2 Timothy 1:1-7)
Happy Mother’s Day! One of the most influential people in anyone’s life is usually their mother. She impacts her children from the cradle to the grave. Her voice is the first one the child here’s and the reaction is always the same, a great big smile. Godly mothers have the unique opportunity to influence their children for all eternity. Paul challenged Timothy to always remember the impact that his mother and grandmother had in his life. Today’s message reflects Paul’s challenge Timothy for Mother’s Day.
Happy are the Holy! (Matthew 5:8)
Back in my youth ministry days, we often sang the lyrics, “Holiness, holiness is what I long for. Holiness is what I need. Holiness, holiness is what I long for...” Today, we struggle to even have a concept of what “holiness” looks like within the Christian life. The Beatitudes are mile markers in the Christian life to share where we are and where we should be going in our relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. Today’s message talks about “holiness” being a part of our daily lives.
Happy Are the Merciful (Matthew 5:7)
If you are fan of the “Karate Kid” movies, you will remember the scene at the end of the first movie where Mr. Miyagi faces off with the sensei of the Cobra Kai. He drops the sensei to his knees and repeats the mantra of the Cobra Kai, “Mercy is for the weak” and then “tweaks” his nose and pushes him over. “Mercy is for the weak” is often the mantra of our culture. The Lord told us the opposite when He said, “Blessed are the merciful...”. Today’s message explains how mercy is to be a part of the believer’s culture and personality.
The Empty Promises of Easter (Philippians 2:5-9)
Happy Easter! Easter Sunday always becomes a focal point for any church because Easter focuses on the empty tomb. We serve a living Savior not a dead one. Our Savior died, was buried, and three days later rose from the grave. Today that tomb is empty. Today’s message focuses on the “emptiness” of Easter and how that affects everyone of us who know the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior.
Happy are the Hungry (Matthew 5:6)
The Lord said, “Happy are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, they will be filled.” Have you ever been hungry or thirsty? In our culture, we struggle to understand hunger or thirst. But, in the Lord’s culture, hunger and thirst could be a normal condition for people. The Lord took the normal physical aspect of hunger and thirst and applied it spiritually. Every one of us should have a hunger and thirst for the Lord that cannot be satisfied. Do you? Today’s message focuses on why it is important for each one of us to hunger and thirst after righteousness.
Happy are the Meek (Matthew 5:5)
The Lord said, “Happy are the meek, they will inherit the earth.” From the world’s point of view, “meekness” is a characteristic that is not very desirable. From the world’s point of view, “meekness” is the same as weakness. But the Bible defines “meekness” as power under control. Today’s message reveals how we can live and walk against the flow of the world and have a life that is pleasing to God.
Happy are the Sad (Matthew 5:4)
Being happy and sad at the same time just doesn’t make sense. How can I struggle with sadness and find that I am happy as a result? The Lord addressed this paradox in Matthew 5:4 which is a part of the “Sermon on the Mount”. When I am truly sad over the condition of my life and the conditions of the people around me, I can truly approach a sense of happiness that the world doesn’t have and doesn’t provide. Matthew 5:4 says, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.”
Happy are the Humble (Matthew 5:3)
In following and serving Christ, paradoxes are a common part of the process. For instance, the world tells us to be the best, go for the most, and get all that we can out of it. There are a lot of people on that path. Solomon, the wisest and richest man in the world, had it all. Yet, at the end of his life, he wrote Ecclesiastes in the Old Testament. He started that book which was a summary of his life by stating that everything was vain and empty. He had everything and felt that life was missing something. Matthew 5:3 says, “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” You want it all? You have to do it God’s way. The Lord made that emphasis in the Sermon on the Mount.
How Do I Serve God Without Fear? (Joshua 1:1-9)
I had just finished college when the church we attended asked me to come on the board as the assistant Sunday School Superintendent. The primary function of the position was to assist the Superintendent in whatever duties he needed help in. A secondary function was to lead the Sunday School opening. I had to start each morning by leading a hymn. I was scared to death. I had never done that and, thankfully, the congregation was pretty forgiving because I was pretty nervous and not very good at it. We are all called to move out our comfort zones when God begins to move in our lives. How do we serve the Lord without fear? Today’s message addresses the challenges that Joshua faced as he replaced Moses.
Happiness Is... (Matthew 5:1-2)
I grew up at the end of the 60’s and the beginning of the 70’s. It was time when people were searching for reality and happiness. They looked in religions, drugs, sex, and whatever else struck their fancy. Strange enough, they looked everywhere except with Jesus. Turns out, He’s the only one Who can truly provide happiness. Somethings will give us a shot at happiness but it isn’t lasting. Today’s message introduces Jesus’ most famous sermon: “The Sermon on the Mount”. Inside the Lord’s message, true happiness is waiting if you seek it on the Lord’s terms.
How Do We Know Jesus is God? (Matthew 4:23-25)
I had just spoken at the Baccalaureate Service for Portage High School. I would meet with a couple of fellows every week at MacDonald’s for Bible Study and was waiting for them to show up. An individual named Tom saw me and asked if he could talk to me. He told me that he had been at the Baccalaureate and heard my message. We spent time talking and the end result was that he asked me how you could be sure that Jesus was God. We spent time talking and he had to go. The seed was planted and I didn’t see Tom again. His question was valid. How do we know that Jesus is God? Today’s message speaks to that very question.
Making Us Fishers of Men (Matthew 4:18-22)
There is a parable that is entitled “The Life Saving Station”. It is a part of the message today but is illustrates the problem that we as individuals and churches have when it comes to any regular emphasis upon evangelism. As the Bible is examined, it becomes very obvious that evangelism is the heart of God. He is not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance and He works through believers to carry out that program and passion. Are we available? Today’s passage captures the Lord’s invitation to His first disciples to follow Him and He would make them “fishers of men.” He wants us involved also. Are we willing and available?
Temptation is a Part of the Christian Life! (Matthew 4:1-11)
If a person is honest, there is not a day that goes by that he or she is not faced with some sort of temptation. Temptation is a part of the Christian life. Fortunately for us, the Lord completely identified with that and showed us how to deal with the daily temptations that we face. In today’s passage, the Lord is tempted by Satan and He resists the temptations that the devil brings His way. If we follow the Lord’s example, we can have the same daily victories that the Lord modeled for us.
The Arrival of the King! (Matthew 3:13-17)
The Arrival of the King! (Matthew 3:13-17)
There is always a fascination with royalty. In my lifetime, I have witnessed the weddings of royals, the birth of royals, and the deaths of royals. But I have never witnessed the crowning of royals. Queen Elizabeth has served longer than I have been alive. There is a certain mystique that is a part of royalty that we commoners will never completely grasp. If you have watched one of these events, you will remember the large number of people that attend and participate in the festivities. When the Lord was crowned King, there was no fanfare and a very specific and limited number of individuals participated. And yet, this was the most significant and unique “crowning” in the history of mankind. Today’s message focuses on the Lord as King over all. The question that you have to answer, “Is He your king?”
Does What You Say Match Who You Are? (Matthew 3:7-12)
Does What You Say Match Who You Are? (Matthew 3:7-12)
This passage finds John the Baptist ministering to people in the countryside.Out of all the people that came to hear John preach, two groups (the Pharisees and the Sadducees) were a part of the crowd.John recognized these two groups as all flash and no reality.He confronted them about their hypocrisy.How often do people today fit into this scenario?We have a tendency to talk about our relationship with Christ but our lives don’t always match up with what we say.If John were to preach to us, would he say the same thing that he said to them?
The Greatest Man Who Ever Lived (Matthew 3:1-6)
How do you define greatness? Is it the person with the most wins as a coach or the guy with the largest batting average? Is it the richest man in America or in the world? Is it the man who finds the cure for Covid or the person who helps out our country the most? How do you define greatness? The Lord defined greatness by pointing to John the Baptist who was different from everyone else. He dressed differently. He lived differently. He ate differently. His message was different from everyone else’s and yet the Lord said that he was the greatest man who ever lived. Today’s message talks about his differences and why God considered him the greatest man who ever lived.
The King Who Fulfills God's Prophecies (Matthew 2:13-23)
The King Who Fulfills God’s Prophecies (Matthew 2:13-23)
I don’t know if you have noticed it or not, but when you are in the middle of God’s will, God always seems to provide and take care of you.In today’s message we see that worked out with the Christ-child and His protection as Herod seeks to kill Him.God always takes care of His own.We may not always understand the way things work out while they are happening but, when we look back at them, we see how God worked out things for our good and His best.We see that in Joseph being obedient to all that God told him even when it didn’t make sense at the moment.