Month: August 2019

You Can’t Earn Grace

Part Two: Grace Is God’s Gift (Is the Punishment Fair?)

Acts 15: 11

But we believe that we are saved through the [precious, undeserved] grace of the Lord Jesus [which makes us free of the guilt of sin and grants us eternal life], in just the same way as they are.”

Now, don’t think grace is something you can earn. This is God’s gift, His divine love and protection bestowed freely upon mankind.

Now to flip this over, if you think that because your mother, father, wife, husband, son or daughter is living a Godly life and (because they are part of your family) that their blessing will fall on you, you’re wrong. Remember, we are all accountable for ourselves!

Ezekiel 18: 13

… and charges interest and takes [a percentage of] increase on what he has loaned; will he then live? He will not live! He has done all these disgusting things, he shall surely be put to death; his blood will be on his own head.

In Ezekiel 18: 13, the question is answered. “Will he then live? He will not live!” This is not only a physical death, but a spiritual death of your soul.

God is a God of love, but He is also a God of perfect justice. His perfect love causes Him to be merciful to those who recognize their sin and turn back to Him. But He cannot wink or turn His head at those who willingly sin.

God takes no joy in anyone’s death. He prefers that we turn to Him and have eternal life. Do not rejoice in the misfortune of unbelievers. Do all you can to bring them into God’s house.

Now if you are living on the edge and you think you’ve found a loophole in God’s law, you are wrong. God’s law and ways are only one way. His way is love for one another.

Read the Entire Chapter of the Scriptures Referenced:

Acts Chapter 15

Ezekiel Chapter 18

Read Part One of the Sermon, Is the Punishment Fair?

Is the Punishment Fair?

Part One: That Isn’t Fair! In Reality, God Is Fair.

Ezekiel 18: 19-20

“Yet do you say, ‘Why should the son not bear the punishment for the father’s sin?’ When the son has practiced justice and righteousness and has kept all My statutes and has done them, he shall certainly live. 20 The person who sins [is the one that] will die. The son will not bear the punishment for the sin of the father, nor will the father bear the punishment for the sin of the son; the righteousness of the righteous shall be on himself, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be on himself.

We will say “This isn’t fair, why am I being punished?” Some people feel that are bearing someone else’s punishment. This can be true when we follow their ways.

If we are living in sin because we were raised in it, we don’t have to continue when we learn that it’s wrong. Once we put The Bible in our hands and read the Word or listen to a preacher of God’s Word, we begin to know the truth.

Now the people of Judah believed they were being punished for the sins of their ancestors, not their own sin. Now if you do, think, or are living wrong, and you know that you are, who can you blame? No one but yourself!

If you think that someone in your family has been living in sin and you are bearing the punishment for it, you are wrong. God judges each and every person individually!

Psalm 7: 8

The Lord judges the peoples; Judge me, O Lord, and grant me justice according to my righteousness and according to the integrity within me.

God searches our minds and hearts. Nothing is hidden from God. This can be either terrifying or comforting. It can be terrifying because you can’t hide or lie to God when you stand before Him. Likewise, it can be comforting if you know that His grace and mercy is freely given.

Read the Entire Chapter of the Scriptures Referenced:

Ezekiel Chapter 18

Psalm Chapter 7

Read Other Sermons From The Gospel Mailman:

The Great Shepherd Restores the Soul

Part One: Jesus Is Our Great Shepherd

Part Two: God Is With Me; I Will Fear No Evil

Part Three: Jesus Prepared Your Place At the Table

Claim Jesus As Lord

Scripture: 1 John 1: 8-10

If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word is not in us.

Scripture Commentary: Claim God as your Father.

If you claim to have never sinned in your life, then you must think you’re Jesus Christ.

Why would God send His Son for us? Because we are born in sin from Adam. We go through this life as imperfect souls. But God, through His love for us, sent His Son to pay for our wrongs.

Jesus was the ultimate sacrificial lamb

When Jesus died on the cross for us, His death and resurrection stopped the Old Testament way that believers symbolically transferred their sins to an animal that was then sacrificed. The animal died in their place to pay for their sin and to allow them to continue living in God’s favor.

Commit your life to Christ today!

God forgave them because of their faith in Him and because they obeyed His commandments concerning the sacrifice. When we commit our lives to Christ and thus identify ourselves with Him, His death becomes ours.

He has paid the penalty for our sins, and His blood has purified us.

Read the Entire Chapter:

1 John Chapter 1

Read Other Commentary from the First Book of John:

Love Comes From God Because God Is Love

God Is Light, in Him Is No Darkness

At What Hour Will Jesus Return?

Scripture: Luke 12: 39-40, 43

But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.” (39-40) It will be good for that servant whom the master finds doing so when he returns. (43)

Scripture Commentary:

We know Jesus is coming. We just don’t know at what hour or day. So the question is are we ready for Jesus’s return? Are we serving Jesus or ourselves?

We shouldn’t just focus on bettering our lifestyle. How can we use what we have to help others?

What are you doing with this life that God has given you?

Jesus said He is returning. This is a true statement. God does not lie. He did not say this to trap us, but to give us time to correct ourselves.

God has blessed us with material rewards. What are we doing with it? Do you boast about what you have or are you using what you have to do God’s work?

Store your treasure in heavenly places.

What we have on earth will pass away but what we store in the heavenly kingdom will last for eternity.

We have the Book on how to live, how to give, and how to love. It’s The Bible. So we cannot say we weren’t told how to be Christ-like here on earth.

Read the Entire Chapter:

Luke Chapter 12

Read Other Commentary from the Book of Luke:

When He Saw Their Faith, He Answered Their Prayer

Lord, Remember Me When You Come Into Your Kingdom

The Lord Is My Light

Scripture: Psalm 27: 1, 8, 14

The Lord is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life—of whom shall I be afraid?(1) My heart says of you, “Seek his face!” Your face, Lord, I will seek.(8) Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.(14)

Scripture Commentary: Jesus brings the light of salvation.

When you walk in a dark room, you can’t see the furnishings. But turn on the lights, and you can see everything! The Lord is my light, and with Him, I can see the way. In His light, I can see the pitfalls, and the bends in the road.

Fear can be a dark shadow that can imprison you to the point where you think there is no way out. But Jesus brings the light of salvation.

Jesus is a strong tower; a hedge of protection.

This is what happens when you let Jesus in your life. He is your salvation, so why have fear? He is your strength and protection.

Knock on God’s door and He will open it to find you. Ask God and He will answer you.

We have all left God at times in our lives but take heart. He has never left us.

Read the Entire Chapter:

Psalm Chapter 27

Read Other Commentary from Psalms:

Take Shelter in the Lord for Every Storm

Teach Me Lord, and Order My Steps In Your Word

“If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed.”

Scripture: Mark 5: 24-34

So Jesus went with him. A large crowd followed and pressed around him. And a woman was there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years. She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse. When she heard about Jesus, she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak,  because she thought, “If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed.” Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering.

At once Jesus realized that power had gone out from him. He turned around in the crowd and asked, “Who touched my clothes?” “You see the people crowding against you,” his disciples answered, “and yet you can ask, ‘Who touched me?’ ”  But Jesus kept looking around to see who had done it.  Then the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came and fell at his feet and, trembling with fear, told him the whole truth. He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has healed you. Go in peace and be freed from your suffering.”

Scripture Commentary: “If I just touch his clothes, I will be healed.” 

The women in Mark Chapter 5 had a seemingly incurable condition which caused her to bleed constantly. This condition had kept her from most social contact. She desperately wanted Jesus to heal her. But she knew that her bleeding would cause Jesus to be unclean under Jewish law if she touched him. Still, the woman reached out by faith and was healed.

God is always ready to help you.

Sometimes we feel that our problems will keep us from God. But He is always ready to help. We should never allow our fear to keep us from approaching Him.

Jesus wasn’t angry with the woman for touching him. He knew she had touched him but he stopped and asked who did it in order to teach her something about faith.

Genuine faith causes action.

Although the woman was healed when she touched him, Jesus said her faith caused the cure. Genuine faith causes action. Faith that isn’t put into action is not faith at all.

Jesus’s words in the midst of crisis speak to us as well. “Don’t be afraid; just believe.” In Jesus’s mind, there was both hope and promise. The next time you feel helpless and afraid, look at your problem from Jesus’s point of view. He is the source of all hope and promise. We should never let our fears keep us from approaching him.

What are you looking for God to do?

Have you been suffering with something in your life? Whatever it is, give it to Jesus. He is the healer. If you trust him and have faith, he will bring you through.

If you are reading this message, then God has given you another day and time to come to him. Jesus accepts us the way we are. Have faith that He loves you. Jesus died for your sins, and he rose from the grave.

Thank you, Jesus, for your love!

Read the Entire Chapter:

Mark Chapter 5

Read Other Commentary from the Book of Mark:

Watch! Be Alert For Jesus’ Return

Prepare Ye the Way of the Lord

We Give Thanks to God, the Father

Scripture: Psalm 75: 1

Unto thee, O God, do we give thanks, unto thee do we give thanks: for that thy name is near thy wondrous works declare.

Scripture Commentary: Give God thanks!

We give thanks to you, our Father, for sending your Son, Jesus Christ. We give thanks because you did not have to send Him. O God, you could have left us here to our own sinful ways. But because you love us, you sent your Son to show us the path to take.

Thank you for giving us what we need, not what we want. God, you are a forgiving God. We thank you for you are trustworthy.

God has no weakness or shortcoming.

The holiness of our God is terribly frightening for sinners but a wonderful comfort for believers. God has no weakness or shortcomings. He doesn’t lie, and He doesn’t tolerate, ignore or excuse sin.

Put yourself in God’s hands and feel the love and peace that Our Father has for you. When we put ourselves in God’s hands, we recognize that God has been our consistent helper for our entire life.

God has never left us but we may have left Him.

“Thank you for being who You are – Our God!”

Read the Entire Chapter:

Psalm Chapter 75

Read Other Commentary from the Book of Psalms:

God Is With Me; I Will Fear No Evil

Go to God for Help. He Won’t Let You Down

Watch for the Morning

Scripture: Mark 13: 34-35

For the Son of Man is as a man taking a far journey, who left his house, and gave authority to his servants, and to every man his work, and commanded the porter to watch. Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning:

Scripture Commentary: Jesus is the bright and morning star

What time is it? Are you on the watch for God? Are you ready if He comes calling this morning or tonight? In this parable Jesus is telling us that He, in human form, is going away. The hour of His return is unknown.

But He is leaving us instructions (The Bible) on what must be done. We are the servants. We have in our possession the Word of God. The question is why are we doing what is not in the Book?

There’s work to do for God!

Do we not believe, or do we think we have all time on our side? We do not know the second, minute, hour or day when our time is up. So why act as if we know?

These verses tell us to work now because we can’t do anything in the grave. Each day that God gives us is a day for the Lord’s work. Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to each of us but if we don’t ask the Spirit to awaken in us, it will stay asleep.

We don’t know the day or hour but we do know that Jesus is coming. Watch and pray!

Read the Entire Chapter:

Mark Chapter 13

Read Other Commentary from the Book of Mark

Are you Spiritually Paralyzed?

Levi Immediately Witnessed for Christ

Work the Harvest for God

Scripture: Luke 10: 2-3

Therefore said he unto them, The harvest truly is great, but the labourers are few: pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he would send forth labourers into his harvest. Go your ways: behold, I send you forth as lambs among wolves.

Scripture Commentary: Jesus needs workers for the harvest

The harvest is truly great but help is needed. There’s no unemployment but we need more workers. God has work for everyone.

Will you apply?

Are you sitting on the sidelines watching others work? We, Christians, have a job to do, and that is to spread God’s gospel to as many people as we can while we are able.

Jesus sent 72 disciples in pairs to prepare the towns for His coming. These disciples were not unique or better educated than everyone else but Jesus sent them to prepare the way.

You can do the job!

Jesus can and does use anyone to spread the gospel. So why not you? We are to prepare the people of today for Jesus’s coming. You say you are a follower, a child of God. Go and talk about what God has done and what He is doing in your life.

Will you work for God?

The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few. Will you work in God’s fields? Or will you just sit and watch?

Read the Entire Chapter:

Luke Chapter 10

Read Other Commentary from the Book of Luke:

When He Saw Their Faith, He Answered Their Prayer

Save Yourself Through Belief; Save Others Through Discipleship