Tag: Sermon

We All Have Sinned.

Part Two of the Sermon, What Will God See From Heaven Today?

Scripture: Romans 3: 23

23 For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

All have sinned and fallen short.

I do not care how well I do in life or what I achieve in life. 

No one can boast of their goodness when they know they have sinned. And only because of God’s grace and mercy are we here today.  Because of God’s love, he sent his son to die for our sins.  God did this out of love so he expects us to obey his guidelines.  He wants us to love him with all our hearts. 

God did this perfectly.  Because we fall short, we must turn to Jesus.

Scripture: Romans 10: 9-10

9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

Scripture: Psalm 14: 1-2

The fool[a] says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, their deeds are vile; there is no one who does good. 2 The Lord looks down from heaven on all mankind to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God.

In this psalm, David applies to his enemies.  These people have become corrupt.  There is no good in any of them because they don’t believe in God, but only in themselves.

There was then, as is now, a clear distinction between those who worship God and those who refuse to worship God, the Father.

So here is the question again. Who do you worship? 

Read the Entire Chapter of the Scriptures Referenced:

Romans 3

Romans 10

Psalm 14

Read Part One of the Sermon, What Will God See From Heaven Today?

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

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

Create In Me A Clean Heart

Part Three: I Want to Have A Clean Heart for God (Is the Punishment Fair?)

Psalm 51: 10-12

Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me away from Your presence, And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.  Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, And uphold me by Your generous Spirit.

Turn to God. Renounce a life of sin and rebellion. Let God create a clean heart within you. He will give you direction, love and the power to change.

It is not God who must live up to our ideas of fairness. Instead, we must live up to His. Don’t spend time looking for loopholes in God’s law because there are none. God is perfect, we are not.

God will judge us for what we are, for our own sin, not someone else’s. Each of us is accountable for our own actions.

2 Timothy 4: 8

Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.

Read the Entire Chapter of the Scriptures Referenced:

Psalms Chapter 51

2 Timothy Chapter 4

Read Parts One and Two of the Sermon, Is the Punishment Fair?

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

Part Two: Grace Is God’s Gift

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