Author: thegospelmailman@yahoo.com

Endure: Faith Produces Patience

Scripture: James 1: 3-6

Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing. If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.

Scripture Commentary: Tested Faith Produces Patience and Endurance.

What is your relationship with Jesus Christ? And do you really believe that God listens to your prayers? Do you pray only for the things you think you need? Or do you pray for the patience to wait on God, and the wisdom to obey His Word?

Have faith in God and do not doubt.

At times we expect God’s answer to come right away. God will always give us what we need, when we need it. He does not grant every thoughtless or selfish request. We must have faith and confidence that God will align our desires with His purpose.

Remember that a mind that wavers is not completely convinced that God’s way is best. When you pray and ask God for advice, do not treat it as you would human advice. This would give you the option to disobey.

In asking God for wisdom, you show your faith and trust in Him. And then your decisions are sure and solid.

Read the Entire Chapter of the Scripture Referenced:

James Chapter 1

Other Commentary from the Book of James:

To Know the Gospel is Different From Living It

Be Humble – Do Not Judge

Idols Can’t See Nor Hear Nor Walk; Worship the Living God

Sermon, Part Five (Final): The Final Destination

Revelation 9: 20-21

And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood; which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk; Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their thefts.

No one suddenly falls into immorality; it happens a little bit at a time.

These people were so hardhearted that even plagues did not drive them to God. People don’t usually fall into immortality and evil suddenly. They slip into it a little at a time, and when they realize what has happened, they are irrevocably mired in their wicked ways.

People who allow sin to take root in their life will find themselves in a predicament. Temptation entertained today becomes sin tomorrow. From there, it turns into a habit, leading to death and separation from God forever. To think you could never become this evil is the first step toward a hard heart. Go to God and confess your sin. Ask for His forgiveness.

Psalm 23:6

Surely Goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

When you hear your name called and you take your last breath, what will be your final destination? Will you be the rich man in hell or will you take the same path as Lazarus, the beggar, and be in God’s House? You have a choice and a chance.

2 Corinthians 5:1

For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, a house mot made with hands, eternal in the heavens.

The doors of the church are never closed.

Jude 1:24-25

24 Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, 25 To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.

Read the Entire Chapter of the Scriptures Referenced:

Revelation Chapter 9

Psalm Chapter 23

2 Corinthians Chapter 5

Jude Chapter 1

Read the Other Parts of the Sermon, The Final Destination

Do You Know the Way to Heaven? (Part One)

Love Each Other As God Loves You (Part Two)

Don’t Be Ruled By Your Lusts (Part Three)

Disobedience Is the Devil’s Playground (Part Four)

Disobedience Is the Devil’s Playground

Sermon Part Four: The Other Destination for the Children of Disobedience

Ephesians 2: 1-2

And you [He made alive when you] were [spiritually] dead and separated from Him because of your transgressions and sins, 2 in which you once walked. You were following the ways of this world [influenced by this present age], in accordance with the prince of the power of the air (Satan), the spirit who is now at work in the disobedient [the unbelieving, who fight against the purposes of God].

You are fresh meat to Satan.

To be in Satan’s family you have to be living in disobedience to God. Satan will not correct you if you are wrong. If anything, he will encourage you to be worse. Satan tempted Jesus. (Read Matthew 4: 1-10.) So you are not off limits to him. If anything, you are fresh meat.

Satan is in his last days so he is intensifying his recruiting. You’ve heard the saying, “misery loves company.” No one wants to be alone and Satan is a lonely creature.

Jesus can do anything but you have to believe and have faith.

Satan’s followers are the ones who possessed the two men in the tombs who Jesus met in Gadarenes. The demons cried out to Jesus, “What have we to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God? art thou come hither to torment us before the time?” These demons are fallen angels who joined Satan in his rebellion against God. They are evil spirits under Satan’s control. But we see here, when they are confronted by Jesus, they lose their power. Jesus doesn’t destroy them, but He will remove them, but only if you have faith in Christ. Jesus can do anything but you have to believe and have faith.

James 2:19

Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well; the devils also believe, and tremble.

True faith involves your total commitment to God. The people of Gadarenes asked Jesus to leave. They were more upset because they lost a herd of pigs and feared His supernatural power than they feared the healing of the men in the tombs.

Even the demons know their ultimate fate.

The demons asked Jesus if He came to torment them before the appointed time. They showed that they knew their ultimate fate. The people of Gadarenes are like people today. They are more concerned about property than people.

Each of us is unique. No two are the same. How foolish of us to value possessions, investments and even animals above human life. True faith is nothing if we are contaminated with earthly values.

Read the Entire Chapter of the Scriptures Referenced:

Ephesians Chapter 6

Matthew Chapter 4

James Chapter 2

Read the Other Parts of the Sermon, Your Final Destination

Do You Know the Way to Heaven? (Part One)

Love Each Other As God Loves You (Part Two)

Don’t Be Ruled By Your Lusts (Part Three)

Return later this week for the conclusion of the sermon, The Final Destination.

Don’t Be Ruled By Your Lusts

Sermon, Part Three: The Final Destination (The Other Destination)

John 8:44

Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and a bode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own; for he is a liar, and the father of lies.

Deuteronomy: 32:17

They sacrificed unto devils, not to God; to gods whom they knew not, to new gods that came newly up, whom your fathers feared not.

If you are moving to the alternate destination (to heaven), you are ruled by your lusts. This destination is the party of flashing lights and loud, provocative music. The women are made up, the men are dressed to impress. The person at the entrance is none other than Satan himself, selling you whatever you want to hear.

In the other destination life is a party … for now.

He tells you to look out for yourself, nothing and no one else matters. Do it your way; no one cares about what you say or do.  He says that life is a party. “Worship me and I will give you anything your heart desires. The price for my party is your soul.”

He is selling his tickets to anyone who is ready to live his lifestyle. Qualifications are, me, myself and I. Disrespectful, corruptible, slanderous, issuing damaging gossip about people, being useless, miserable, and contemptible are some of the characteristics of a place in Satan’s hell-hold.

Don’t be mislead.

If Satan was to be truthful (but he cannot be truthful), he would want to be back in the Kingdom of God, the Father. Satan will mislead you into thinking he has everything you want. But there is a difference in want and need.

God gives you your needs; Satan gives you your wants, like one-night stands. In the morning you say, “What have I done? Why am I here?”

Satan started recruiting in the beginning of the Bible in Genesis 3:1. He tempted Eve and succeeded, and ever since then he has been busy. His mission is to fill his house with as many of us as possible. To be tempted by Satan is not a sin, to give into him is the sin.

Read the Entire Chapter of the Scriptures Referenced:

John Chapter 8

Deuteronomy Chapter 32

Genesis Chapter 3

Read Parts One and Two of the Sermon, The Final Destination

Part One: Do You Know the Way to Heaven?

Part Two: Love Each Other As God Loves You

Return next week for Part 4 of the Sermon, The Final Destination

Love Each Other As God Loves You

Sermon, Part Two: Love is Key to the Final Destination

John 15: 12

My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you.

Think of someone in particular who needs love. Give all the love you can, and then try to give more. How do we get to the final destination? Love each other, help each other, accept Jesus, and repent.

God doesn’t make it hard or even complicated.

All you need is faith, trust and the willingness to believe. In John 14:6, Jesus saith to Thomas, “I am the way, the truth, and the life, no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” Knowing Peter, Paul or Mary will not get you into heaven. Knowing, accepting Jesus, and repenting will get you into the Kingdom of God.

Well, you may say I have done good by my fellow man; I have put money in church; I have given to those in need. This is all good, but it will not give you the keys to eternal life in God’s Kingdom.

By uniting our lives with Jesus, we are unified with God, the Father. Some people may say that this way is too narrow. The way to God through Jesus is wide enough for the whole world, if the world chooses to accept Jesus.

God loves us so much.

God loves us so much he sent his Only Begotten Son to give us salvation and deliverance from sin. Christ is the way, the truth and the life.

Do not be like the Pharisees who loved money. They took exception to Jesus’s teaching. Christ teaches that you cannot serve two masters: money and God. The love of anything that you place before God will only last a short time. People think that material things will give them praise, but it will not. They consider their wealth to be a sign of God’s approval. God detests selfish wealth because it causes us to abandon the true spiritual gifts that God has given to us.

Wealth won’t get you into heaven – Jesus is the only way.

Remember the rich man in Luke 16:19, who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury while at the gate laid a beggar named Lazarus. The beggar was covered with sores and longing to eat what fell from the rich man’s table. The dogs came and licked the poor man’s sores. Remember that he died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side.

The rich man died and was sent to hell. We do not know the rich man’s name but the poor man’s name is Lazarus. The rich man begged for mercy, but got none. While he was living, he did not repent. Now, he is dead and he cannot undo what he did while he was alive. He had no faith in God.

What is faith?

Faith is total dependence on God and a willingness to do his will. Faith is not something we put on to show others.

In this parable in Luke Chapter 16, Jesus tells us how people ended up in different places. If your life’s map is taking you to hell and you know it, and if you are here and have heard, then you still have time to make a U-turn and start on the road to God’s Kingdom.

God gives you a choice.

He doesn’t force anything on you. He is a merciful God, full of love and forgiveness. And He gives us grace, mercy, clemency, and his protection freely.

Now you have heard about the road to God’s Kingdom. You have been given the directions: repentance, love, and forgiveness. Live a Christ-like life. That does not mean to live a perfect life because none of us can be perfect.

By studying the Word, we will walk better than we have been doing. With God’s help, we will learn how to be better and do better. Faith in God will direct you to be the person that God made you to be.

Return later this week for Part Three of the sermon, The Final Destination. In Part Three we will focus on the other destination.

Read the Entire Chapter of the Scriptures Referenced:

John Chapters 15

John Chapter 14

Luke Chapter 16

Read Part One of the Sermon, Your Final Destination

Do You Know the Way to Heaven?

Sermon, Part One: Your Final Destination

John 14:1-4

“Do not let your heart be troubled (afraid, cowardly). Believe [confidently] in God and trust in Him, [have faith, hold on to it, rely on it, keep going and] believe also in Me. 2 In My Father’s house are many dwelling places. If it were not so, I would have told you, because I am going there to prepare a place for you. 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back again and I will take you to Myself, so that where I am you may be also. 4 And [to the place] where I am going, you know the way.” 

You are about to take a trip.

Do you know the way? You have no map quest or map, but someone has given you directions. You do not know the day or time you are leaving, but you know you are going away. This trip has been planned for a while. You know that you will be leaving but to where is the question?

When you plan your vacation, you pick the date, where you are going, and how you will get there. You pack your clothes and have your transportation ready.

You need no worldly possessions to get started.

But for this trip I am talking about you need no clothes, money, or ticket. There are two places to choose from. Let’s start with the first place you can go.

You started this trip when you accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. The date of this trip started when you were conceived in your mother’s womb. That’s your date of arrival, and it was placed in the Book. Your date of departure was also placed in the Book.

Now your trip is when life begins.

At first, it may be fun and games or it may be hardships. In the early years you really do not have much of a choice. But then you reach adulthood. Now you can choose what kind of life you want to live.

Maybe you are still searching for what is missing. You are going through life with no purpose. If you are going through life without Jesus, then you have no purpose. You are an empty vessel that cannot be filled.

With Jesus you will have a purpose, a reason to get up in the morning. Your faith in Christ will deliver you from the emptiness you feel. Now you know where you are going and who you will be with.

A trip to Jesus Christ’s Father’s Kingdom is the trip to a place of eternal light with no darkness, no sickness, no pain, no rain, no tension, no fighting or disputes, no need to lie or be jealous of anyone. There’s pure peace, joy, and love everywhere.

Jesus says, “In my Father’s house are many mansions.”

His house is not built by hands. “If it were not so, I would have told you.”

Jesus is not lying; He cannot lie. Jesus’ death and resurrection gave us the only path to his Father’s Kingdom. The path is love.

Read the Entire Chapter of the Scripture Referenced:

John Chapter 14

Read Other Commentary on John Chapter 14:

There’s A Mansion for You in Heaven

Will You Be Prepared When Christ Returns?

Please return next week for Part Two of the Sermon, Your Final Destination.

Jesus Christ, The Prince of Peace

Part Two: The Prophecy of Jesus Christ

Isaiah 9: 6

6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

Isaiah 53: 5

5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

In this prophecy of Isaiah, God pulled aside the curtain of time to let the people of Isaiah’s day look ahead to see The Prince of Peace. They saw ahead to the suffering of the future Messiah and the resulting forgiveness made available to all mankind.

Today we can see all that Christ did and if we still reject Him, our sin is greater than that of the Israelites who could not see what we have seen and know.

Have you given your life to Jesus, The Prince of Peace?

Jesus is the Good Shepherd. Are you in the fold or are you like a wandering sheep?

Jesus is the sinless lamb who offered Himself for our sins to make us acceptable to God, His Father. What Christ did on the cross opened the way so we can enter heaven. It is not by our works or deeds. We are justified because we claim Jesus Christ the righteous servant.

When you accept Christ as your Lord and Savior, your sin is stripped away and you are clothed in His goodness. If you have not accepted Jesus Christ, you are lost and belong to Satan. All you have to do is accept Christ. He will forgive and forget your sins.

God loves each of us so much.

He will hold no memory of our wrong when we accept His Son. And if God is willing to forgive us, we must forgive anyone who has harmed us. We cannot seek God’s forgiveness if we can’t forgive.

In closing, in time of great darkness, God promised to send a light who would shine on everyone living in darkness and the shadow of death. Jesus is that light. He is Wonderful, Counselor, the Prince of Peace and Mighty God.

This message of hope was fulfilled in the birth of Christ and the establishment of His eternal kingdom. He came to deliver all people from their slavery to sin. Take comfort in this certainty: although the Lord may not always take us out of our troubles, He will lead us safely through them.

Think of the prayers He has answered and praise Him! Keep your thoughts and trust in God. Ask His forgiveness. He will forgive and forget.

Read the Entire Chapter of the Scriptures Referenced:

Isaiah Chapter 9

Isaiah Chapter 53

Read Part One of the Sermon, The Prophecy of Jesus Christ.

His Name Shall Be Called Wonderful!

Sermon: The Prophecy of Jesus Christ

Isaiah 9: 6

6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

Isaiah 53: 5

5 But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

Isaiah made the prophecy about Jesus Christ about 681 years before He was born. As we celebrate Christmas, let us reflect on this day we have set aside as His birthday.

Are you really celebrating His birth or are you celebrating yourself?

What has Christmas become to you?

For some it’s a day off. For many, it’s a day to receive or give gifts. But this is the day God sent us His Only Begotten Son to pay for our sins.

His son was not the all impressive, commanding figure of a man making a strong impression. No! He was a humble, suffering servant – a sinless lamb to be led to slaughter.

Such a prophecy is astounding. Why would God send His Son to be beaten, spit upon and nailed to the cross for us? He allowed it out of Love, LOve, LOVe, LOVE!

Who would believe God would save us this way?

We think the only way to get anything done is to fight and go to war. That is Satan’s way, not God’s. God’s ways are not our ways. The Messiah’s strength is shown by humility, suffering, mercy and love.

Despite Isaiah’s prophecy of Jesus’s coming, the people still rejected Him. Why do people despise someone who is kind, forgiving, and shows love?

Please return next week for the conclusion of the sermon, The Prophecy of Jesus Christ.

Read the Entire Chapter of the Scriptures Referenced:

Isaiah Chapter 9

Isaiah Chapter 53

Read Other Commentary from the Book of Isaiah:

Do Not Be Separated From God

God Knows You In Your Entirety

The Angels Worship Jesus Christ

Scripture: Hebrews 1: 5-8

5-6 For God never said to any angel, “You are my Son, and today I have given you the honor that goes with that name.”[b] But God said it about Jesus. Another time he said, “I am his Father and he is my Son.” And still another time—when his firstborn Son came to earth—God said, “Let all the angels of God worship him.”

7 God speaks of his angels as messengers swift as the wind and as servants made of flaming fire; 8 but of his Son he says, “Your Kingdom, O God, will last forever and ever; its commands are always just and right.

Scripture Commentary:

God has many angels but He has only one Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus was with His Father in the beginning of time, and He is with Him now. Christ, like His Father, is changeless.

When you put your faith in Christ, you are absolutely secure because He stands on the firmest foundation in the universe. He is always fair, just, and merciful to us who are so undeserving.

Jesus is God’s Son and is worthy of all praise!

In verse 6, God says to His angels, “Let all the angels of God worship him.” Then God “gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3: 16)

Don’t ever think God could never forgive your sins. All you have to do is accept His Son, Jesus Christ, as your Savior. Stop sinning and have faith in Him.

God can and will forgive us when we come to Him through His Son.

Read the Entire Chapter of the Scripture Referenced:

Hebrews Chapter 1

Also referenced:

John Chapter 3

Read Other Commentary from the Book of Hebrews:

Jesus and the Throne of God

Don’t Harden Your Hearts to God

Christ Died For Our Sins

Scripture: Romans 6: 7-10

7 For the person who has died [with Christ] has been freed from [the power of] sin. 8 Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live [together] with Him, 9 because we know [the self-evident truth] that Christ, having been raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has power over Him. 10 For the death that He died, He died to sin [ending its power and paying the sinner’s debt] once and for all; and the life that He lives, He lives to [glorify] God [in unbroken fellowship with Him]. 

Scripture Commentary:

We will all die but who will we die for? Are we living for worldly things or are we living for Christ? If we are living for Christ, then our old sinful self died once and for all, and we are free from its power. Paul has told us that through faith in Christ we are acquitted before God. We need no longer live under sin’s power.

So we are free!

What are we doing for Christ? When we were chained to sin, we lived as sinners. Now Christ has freed us from our sinful nature. Christ’s death and resurrection freed us to enjoy fellowship with him and to do His will.

So let us consider ourselves to be what God has in fact made us. We have a new start, and the Holy Spirit will help us become in our daily experience what Christ has declared us to be.

Read the Entire Chapter of the Scripture Referenced:

Romans Chapter 6

Read Other Commentary from Romans Chapter 6:

Do Not Continue in Sin; You Have Been Set Free

Will You Go On Sinning?