Category: Old Testament

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

Scripture: Psalms 30: 1-3, 10

I will exalt you, Lord, for you lifted me out of the depths and did not let my enemies gloat over me. Lord my God, I called to you for help, and you healed me. You, Lord, brought me up from the realm of the dead;
you spared me from going down to the pit.(1-3) Hear, Lord, and be merciful to me; Lord, be my help.”(10)

Scripture Commentary:

The Lord, Jesus Christ, not only died for you but also still looks out for you, even today. If you are in need, go to Him for help. (It’s funny that when we think everything is OK, we go about our lives as if nothing has happened. We become secure within ourselves until we need His help again.)

The feeling of our own invincibility is only temporary.

All that you have comes from God. Be careful that the wealth, power and fame doesn’t have an intoxicating effect on you. Do not feel so self-secure and self-reliant that you believe you are independent of God.

Don’t be trapped by a false security of prosperity.

If you say you have faith in God, then you must trust Him in both good and hard times. The hard times are the times that, if you believe in Him, you will witness for His love.

Depend on God for your security.

Do not depend on your earthly possessions for they will disappear. However, God will never leave you, so do not leave Him!

Read the Entire Chapter:

Psalms Chapter 30

Praise the Lord

Sermon: Praise the Lord

Psalm 117

O praise the Lord, all ye nations: praise him, all ye people. For his merciful kindness is great toward us: and the truth of the Lord endureth for ever. Praise ye the Lord.

This psalm uses a few words but says a lot. The message is powerful. Let the world hear you praise the Lord.

Psalm 117 is not only the shortest in the Bible; it is also the middle chapter of the Bible.

At what point are you in your life? Looking at most of you here, I don’t think that we are at the beginning of life. Or are we?

Life truly begins the day you accept Jesus Christ.

If you have just accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, and believe He died and rose from the grave on the third day, you are at the beginning of your life.

The new you is reborn; the old you dies. When I say the new you is born, I’m saying that the things you used to do hold no interest for you. You look at the world differently. The partying, drinking, and other things that made you happy don’t work anymore.

Or are you in the middle of your life? You have accepted Christ but haven’t changed how you are living. If that’s you, ask yourself if you’ve given God praise at any time.

Give God the praise.

You’re here today. Give God the praise! He has given you this day as well as every day up to now. You aren’t in the grave.

If you have a place to stay, clothes on your back, and food to eat, give God the praise!

If you are at the end of life, then you know what life has been, and only because of God’s love are you here now.

Have no fear.

Death has no hold on you if you belong to God. You know where you are going because you have accepted Jesus. God’s love and faithfulness endures forever.

We can’t say we’ve been faithful to God all our lives but He loves us so much that He forgives and forgets our wrongs. He is faithful and loves us all.

If God did nothing else for you, He would still be worthy of our highest praise.

Put Your Trust In God

Scripture: Psalms 25: 1, 4-5, 7

In you, Lord my God, I put my trust. (1) Show me your ways, Lord,
teach me your paths. Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long.(4-5) Do not remember the sins of my youth and my rebellious ways; according to your love remember me, for you, Lord, are good. (7)

Scripture Commentary: Put your trust in God. He will not fail you.

David asked God to keep his enemies from overcoming him because they opposed what God stood for. Enemies oppose not only us but also God’s way of living. David put his trust in God.

When we place money, success, prestige, and lust in our lives, we then live in opposition to God’s laws. At that point we are living as Satan wants us to live.

If Christians live in opposition to God, then our family and friends think living for God is futile. Christians must keep the Lord Jesus Christ front and center at all times.

Pray for guidance.

Place yourself in His hands. Let Him guide you in the path of righteousness.

The first step is to want to be guided and to realize that God’s primary guidance is in the Word. Read Psalms 119. It tells of the endless knowledge found in God’s Word.

Don’t be tempted to demand answers to all your questions. Be prepared for God’s direction and guidance. Seek and you will find the path that God has prepared for you.

Read the Psalms Referenced:

Psalms 25

Psalms 119

Jesus, Remember Me

Sermon: What Side of the Cross Are You On? … Jesus, Remember Me

Part One: Luke 23: 37-43

… and saying, “If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!” 38 There was also an inscription over him,[c] “This is the King of the Jews.”
One of the criminals who were hanged railed at him,[d] saying, “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!” 40 But the other rebuked him, saying, “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? 41 And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.” 42 And he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” 43 And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.” 3Two criminals are to be crucified along with Christ. One is on His left; the other on His right. Each criminal is tied to his cross with ropes. They endure no physical punishment. In contrast, Jesus is nailed to the cross with large nails. But before He is nailed to the cross, He is whipped, beaten, spit upon and a crown of thorns is forced on His head.

Isaiah 53: 3

He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

One of the criminals says to Jesus to save Himself and them, too. Similarly, Satan tempts Jesus after He is baptized by John the Baptist.

Matthew Chapter 4 recounts Jesus being led of the spirit into the wilderness. He was there 40 days and nights. When Jesus was weak and hungry Satan came to him.

Matthew 4: 2-3

And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3 And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” 

Jesus’ response is very clear. In Matthew 4:10, Jesus says, “Be gone, Satan! For it is written, “‘You shall worship the Lord your God and him only shall you serve.’”

Satan tried to tempt Jesus, fully knowing that He is God’s Only Begotten Son. So, if He would approach Jesus to tempt Him, what chance do you have?

I am here to tell you, you have no chance unless you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. You must be under the covering of God’s grace.

Read the entire chapters of the Scriptures referenced:

Luke 23

Isaiah 53

Matthew 4

Read Part Two of the Sermon, What Side of the Cross Are You On?

Do You Recognize God’s Voice?

Take the Word of the Lord to All

Scripture: Jonah 1: 1-3

The word of the Lord came to Jonah son of Amittai: 2“Go to the great city of Nineveh and preach against it, because its wickedness has come up before me.”

 But Jonah ran away from the Lord and headed for Tarshish. He went down to Joppa, where he found a ship bound for that port. After paying the fare, he went aboard and sailed for Tarshish to flee from the Lord.

Scripture Commentary: Jonah flees from the Lord.

God told Jonah to go to Nineveh and preach the Word of the Lord to them. Although Jonah knows God is omnipresent, he runs and hides from God.

How many times have you ignored God when He is talking to you?

Maybe you aren’t literally running away, but when you decide not to listen, you are hiding from God.

Jonah hated the people of Nineveh so much that he didn’t want them to be saved. God will put you in places that won’t be to your liking and may make you uncomfortable. You are to take God’s Word wherever you are sent, not where you can go and feel comfortable.

Think about all that God has done for you.

Jonah’s story began with disobedience and with the possibility of a great tragedy of 120,000 people being lost forever.

This story illustrates that at your worst, God will give you a chance to repent and accept Him. You cannot seek God’s love and run from Him at the same time.

Believe in God and do His will.

Read the Entire Chapter:

Jonah Chapter 1

You Are My God; Earnestly I Seek You

Scripture: Psalms 63: 1-8

You, God, are my God,
    earnestly I seek you;
I thirst for you,
    my whole being longs for you,
in a dry and parched land
    where there is no water.

2 I have seen you in the sanctuary
    and beheld your power and your glory.
3 Because your love is better than life,
    my lips will glorify you.
4 I will praise you as long as I live,
    and in your name I will lift up my hands.
5 I will be fully satisfied as with the richest of foods;
    with singing lips my mouth will praise you.

6 On my bed I remember you;
    I think of you through the watches of the night.
7 Because you are my help,
    I sing in the shadow of your wings.
8 I cling to you;
    your right hand upholds me.

Scripture Commentary: Lord, I earnestly seek you.

When I earnestly seek you, your shield of salvation has saved me. Your gentleness made me great.

David probably wrote Psalms 61, 62, and 63 when he was seeking refuge during Absalom’s rebellion. If we are cut off from our friends, our loneliness will not let us seek God. For He is always with us. We are His children. He will never leave us.

Read the Entire Chapter:

Psalms Chapter 63

What You Do For Christ Has Lasting Value

Scripture: Proverbs 10: 2

Ill-gotten treasures have no lasting value, but righteousness delivers from death.

Scripture Commentary: What has lasting value?

Some people bring unhappiness on themselves by choosing ill-gotten treasures. By craving satisfaction, they may do something that destroys their chances of ever achieving something of lasting value. God’s principles for right living bring lasting happiness because they guide us into long-term right behavior in spite of our ever changing feelings.

Scripture: Proverbs 10: 4

Lazy hands make for poverty, but diligent hands bring wealth.

Scripture Commentary: God gives you new opportunity every day.

Every day God gives you opportunities to grow, serve and be productive. Yet it’s so easy to waste time, letting life slip away.

Refuse to be a lazy person, sleeping and frittering away the hours that are meant for productive work. God has a job for you to do.

The gift He has given you is to be used to glorify His name. Don’t let anything become more important than your search for God’s wisdom. To know God is not just to know the facts about Him, but also to stand in awe of Him and have a relationship with Him.

Don’t be the disgraceful son and sleep your life away. Be fruitful and go into the world talking about Jesus Christ.

Read the Entire Chapter:

Proverbs Chapter 10

Would You Curse God When the Devil Is Your Enemy?

Would You Curse God When It’s the Devil Who is Your Enemy?

Part Three: 1 Peter 5: 8

Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.

Satan greatly misunderstands the breadth and depth of God’s mercy and forgiveness toward those who believe in Him. Satan believed that Job was willing to accept the loss of family and property as long as his own skin was safe.

We can be like that in a way. It’s like that when we see someone who is hurt or suffering, or who is losing everything and we say to ourselves that we’re glad it isn’t us.

Satan comes at you in many ways just as he did with Job.

First, he attacked Job’s family by removing his sons and daughters. Second, he went after Job’s property, and last, Satan attacked Job’s health.

In Job, chapter 6, verse 2, we see that Satan needed God’s permission to hurt Job but God didn’t allow for Job to be killed.

Job 2:9

His wife said to him, “Are you still maintaining your integrity? Curse God and die!”

Job remained faithful to God.

With all that Job went through, he never lost his love for God, and he never cursed God. Would you be able to say the same if you were in Job’s shoes?

People curse God everyday when they use language that is ungodly. Some people profane God’s name with no thought to what they’re saying. But when you live a godly life, you put away the things that are not of God.

For anyone who doesn’t know how the story ends, Job was given back more than he lost.

Job 42: 12-17

The Lord blessed the latter part of Job’s life more than the former part. He had fourteen thousand sheep, six thousand camels, a thousand yoke of oxen and a thousand donkeys. And he also had seven sons and three daughters.  The first daughter he named Jemimah, the second Keziah and the third Keren-Happuch.  Nowhere in all the land were there found women as beautiful as Job’s daughters, and their father granted them an inheritance along with their brothers. After this, Job lived a hundred and forty years; he saw his children and their children to the fourth generation. And so Job died, an old man and full of years.

In God’s house you do not need money, cars, and boats. You need only God; He will provide your needs.

Would the message of Job change if God hadn’t restored Job to his former blessings? No, God is still sovereign.

Don’t let anything come between you and God. If there’s anything in your life that you value more than God, get it out of your life! And don’t dwell on what you give up. God gave his Son for your sins.

You can never out give God!

Read the Entire Chapters of the Scriptures Referenced:

1 Peter Chapter 5

Job Chapter 2

Job Chapter 6

Job Chapter 42

Read the other parts of the sermon, Would You Curse God?

Part One: Would You Curse God?

Part Two: Would You Curse God When the Pressure Is On?

Would You Curse God When the Pressure Is On?

Sermon: Would You Curse God When the Pressure Is On?

Part Two: Job 1: 11

But now stretch out your hand and strike everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face.”

 Satan challenges God by saying Job is only faithful because God had placed a hedge of protection around him.  Satan is telling God that if He took away that protection, Job would give up under Satan’s pressure. 

What about you?  Would you give God up?

Consider what you would be giving up.  Eternity with God over something temporal and fleeting.

Revelation 12: 9

The great dragon was hurled down—that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to the earth, and his angels with him.

Things will always happen – some good, some bad – and sometimes it is not for you to know why.  You must put your faith and trust in God.  Experience life as Job did, one day at a time.  Thank God for giving you another day to praise Him.

God’s love doesn’t exempt you from life’s challenges.

God loves you but that does not exempt you from life’s calamities.  Setbacks, tragedies, and sorrows strike both Christians and non-Christians alike.  The difference is in how we deal with them.

Psalms 34: 7

The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them.

Satan says that we are fair weather people, only honoring God as long as we get what we want.  God gives Satan permission to test Job.  However, Satan has no authority other than what God gives him.

God is compassionate toward you.

While God may allow you to suffer for reasons beyond your understanding, He is never caught by surprise by your troubles.  There are limits on what Satan is allowed to do; God is compassionate.  So do not worry about Satan.  Stay faithful to the One and Only God who loves you.

Read the Entire Chapters of the Scriptures Referenced:

Job Chapter 1

Revelation Chapter 12

Psalms Chapter 34

Read Part One and Part Three of the Sermon, Would You Curse God?

Part One: Would You Curse God?

Part Three: Would You Curse God When the Devil Is Your Enemy?

Would You Curse God?

Sermon: Would You Curse God?

Part One: Job 1: 8-11

Then the Lord said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job?  There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil.”  “Does Job fear God for nothing?” Satan replied.  “Have you not put a hedge around him and his household and everything he has? You have blessed the work of his hands, so that his flocks and herds are spread throughout the land.  But now stretch out your hand and strike everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face.”

Do you have the faith of Job?

Most of us know the story of Job but do we really get the message that God has for us?  Job’s life was constructed on a rock solid foundation that could withstand the hurricane-type storm that he was about to face.  If Job didn’t have solid faith in God, he would have been like toothpicks flying through the strong wind of the hurricane.

Our faith, like Job’s, must be deep and solid enough to withstand what life has in store for us.  We are tested every day just as Job was tested.  

Would you curse God if your circumstances changed for the worst?

We tend to look at material things and judge them for their earthly value.  Job was a highly successful and prestigious member of his community.  He had thousands of sheep, camels and other livestock.  And he also had many servants to tend to his, and his family’s needs.  Suddenly he was assaulted on every side, devastated, and stripped down to his foundation.

Would you curse God if you lost everything that you had ever worked for, or if you had nothing and all you saw were people you thought had everything?

Read the Entire Chapter

Job Chapter 1

Read part two and three of the sermon, Would You Curse God?

Part Two: Would You Curse God When the Pressure Is On?

Part Three: Would You Curse God When the Devil Is Your Enemy?