Something To Think About

Calvary shows how far men will go in sin, and how far God will go for man’s salvation. —H.C. Trumball

Pastor's Corner

A Thrill of Hope, a Weary World Rejoices.

As we pack away the Christmas stuff and throw out the paper wrappings from Christmas it’s easy to pack “Christmas” away too. We quickly return to “business as usual” and we forget the baby born in a manger; we forget the wonder of this most profound event. Our attitude of worship is far too quickly eclipsed by the pressures of daily living. Christmas marks the greatest miracle of all time – the miracle of God in human flesh. Does this amaze you? Are you compelled to ask the question “Why?”  Why did God become flesh? Why would He enter this world the way everyone else enters this world – as a baby!? The answer to these questions is found in one three letter word – SIN. In fact, one could say that SIN is the reason for the season. Our sin separated us from God and Jesus came to reconcile us to God. Listen to these words from “Oh Holy Night”:

Long lay the world in sin and error pining
'Til He appeared and the soul felt its worth.
A thrill of hope, a weary world rejoices
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.

Fall on your knees
Oh, hear the angel voices.
Oh, night divine,
Oh, night when Christ was born!

Only in Jesus does our soul find its true worth. The thrill of hope! A weary world rejoices! Because of Jesus we have worth, we have hope and we have joy! So while you’re packing your Christmas stuff away, don’t pack Christmas away.

Pastor Don.

Something to Think About

I don’t have to attend every argument I am invited to. Author Unknown

Pastor's Corner

Are we there yet?!!

“After this I heard what seemed to be the loud voice of a great multitude in heaven, crying out, “Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God!  Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the roar of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, crying out, “Hallelujah!
 For the Lord our God 
the Almighty reigns! Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems, and he has a name written that no one knows but himself. He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God.  Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” (Revelation 19-21)
Christmas (modern speech for the incarnation of God in the person of Jesus) is why we anticipate this most glorious day. In fact reading of this event should fill us with the excitement that a kid feels anticipating Christmas day.
Pastor Don

Something to Think About

When we deal seriously with our sins, God will deal gently with us. —C.H. Spurgeon

Pastor's Corner

Not Again!!

Recently Doug Phillips, president of Vision Forum Ministries, a ministry dedicated to producing resources to strengthen Christian marriages, to instruct children, to call men to bold leadership of their families, and to promote virtuous behavior through quality Christian films, confessed to an inappropriate romantic and affectionate relationship with a woman not his wife. Even as we groan and say, “Not again!” we’re reminded of Satan’s ruthless and predatory stance against anyone who promotes what God values. Doug Murray who blogged on this situation makes this very valid observation, “Does Satan attack our strengths or our weaknesses? Does he try to destroy us where we’re strong or where we’re weak? For most Christians, it’s usually our weaknesses that the devil targets. But for Christian leaders it’s usually their strengths, the areas they’ve built ministries upon, the moral and spiritual qualities they are best known for promoting. Why? Why does the devil go for the citadel rather than for the little cracks in the wall? Because the damage is so much greater, the fallout is more horrendous, the church is more discouraged, and the world is most delighted when a Christian leader falls in the one place he really planted his flag and made a stand.” There’s a warning here for all of us, Satan will attack you where you have “planted your flag and made a stand”, or where you are trying to minister to someone. These are the areas that Satan will come after us, hoping to bring us down and thus bring disgrace to the God we serve and worship. So, be alert for our enemy “goes about like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour”.

Pastor Don

Something to Think About

Jesus gave his life for me, to take my life from me, to live his life through me. —Alistair Begg

Pastor's Corner

Please! Teach your children to obey!

“I am writing this to plead with Christian parents to require obedience of their children. I am moved to write this by watching young children pay no attention to their parents’ requests; with no consequences...Last week I saw two things that prompted this article. One was the killing of 13-year-old Andy Lopez in Santa Rosa, California, by police who thought he was about to shoot them with an assault rifle. It was a toy gun. What made this relevant was that the police said they told the boy two times to drop the gun. Instead he turned it on them. They fired. I do not know the details of that situation or if Andy even heard the commands. So I can’t say for sure he was insubordinate. So my point here is not about young Lopez himself. It’s about a “what if.” What if he heard the police, and simply defied what they said? If that is true, it cost him his life. Such would be the price of disobeying proper authority…I witnessed such a scenario in the making on a plane last week. I watched a mother preparing her son to be shot. I was sitting behind her and her son, who may have been seven years old. He was playing on his digital tablet. The flight attendant announced that all electronic devices should be turned off for takeoff. He didn’t turn it off. The mother didn’t require it. As the flight attendant walked by, she said he needed to turn it off and kept moving. He didn’t do it. The mother didn’t require it. One last time, the flight attendant stood over them and said that the boy would need to give the device to his mother. He turned it off. When the flight attendant took her seat, the boy turned his device back on, and kept it on through the takeoff. The mother did nothing. I thought to myself, she is training him to be shot by police.”(From an article by John Piper)

Parents, obedience is not optional, God requires it of our children and if we as parents neglect to teach our children to obey God’s appointed authorities we set them up to be out of step with God’s will for them. Requiring obedience from our children is hard but it is possible and it’s worth it.

Obedient children are gracious and humble. Disobedient children are simply, brats. They are neither fun to be around, nor happy themselves. They are demanding and insolent. Their “freedom” is not a blessing to them or others. They are free the way a boat without a rudder is free. They are the victims of their whims. Sooner or later, these whims will be challenged and that will never be a good encounter. But remember, requiring obedience is not the same as requiring perfection.

Parents, you can do this. It is a hard season. I’ve spent more than sixty percent of my life in it. But there is divine grace for this, and you will be richly rewarded.

Pastor Don

Something to Think About

We can stand affliction better than we can stand prosperity, for in prosperity we forget God. —D.L. Moody

Pastors Corner

A Living Gospel Message

There is no message more central to human existence than the gospel of Christ's death and resurrection. Long before the cross, God decided that he would embed within humanity a picture, a portrait of the gospel: marriage. The great mystery of marriage, a mystery that could be revealed only after the cross, is that marriage has always been and will always be about the gospel. The relationship of a husband and wife is to be a constant pointer to the relationship of Christ and his church. Before God created Eve for Adam, God had His Son’s bride, the church in mind. This means that even though God knew we would be unfaithful, He would marry us anyway. Even though He knew the great pain and suffering He would have to go through to redeem us, He created us anyway. Is this not the greatest demonstration of selfless love? What an inspiration this is for us to see our marriages as a blessing and not a burden; to find fulfillment in our marriages; to see our marriages as something worth fighting for. Our world mocks marriage, yet marriage, when lived as God would have it is the greatest blessing we could have.

Pastor Don

Something To Think About

Self-image, the concept we have of ourselves, must begin, not by looking in the mirror but by looking into the face of God. —Sam Storms

Pastor's Corner

“I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me.”(Isaiah 46:9) The God we worship is unique; there is no one like Him. He is in a category by Himself. And what is so amazing is that this God has invited into His presence to worship Him! But coming into the presence of God is both exhilarating and humbling, because He is Holy and we are sinners. In Isaiah chapter 6 the prophet Isaiah had a vision of God in the temple and he says, “I saw the Lord high and lifted up and the train of His robe filled the temple.” When Isaiah enters the temple there is only one person whom he sees – God, who fills the temple. And he is undone! Therefore, the goal of our worship is first and foremost to see God, to encounter His glory, to be awestruck by His majesty, to be humbled before this one who is like no other, who is above all things because He created all things. He is not like me, He is God and there is none like Him! Worship is where we make much of God and less of ourselves. In fact, we are reminded that were it not for His boundless mercy we would be crushed; that if He had not redeemed and made us holy through the blood of His Son Jesus, we would be unable to even approach His throne to worship. True worship is when we focus on how worthy HE is not on how worthy we are; where we celebrate God’s grip on us, not our grip on God.  So, “Come, let us go to the house of the God, that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths.” (Micah 4:2)

Pastor Don  

Something to Think About (for Sunday May 12th)

How sweet is rest after fatigue! How sweet will heaven be when our journey is ended. —George Whitefield.

Pastor's Corner (for Sunday May 12th)

When I am weak then I am Strong.  

One of the most profound verses in the bible is in Philippians 2 where we are told that Jesus “emptied Himself and took on the form of a servant.” Jesus willingly submitted Himself to the Father and became a human being with flesh and blood. What I want to observe here is that submission is part of the character of God. Does that surprise you? Would it also surprise you if I said that I believe that Jesus’ power is most clearly seen in His role of submission? I think it surprises us because we often think that the weak submit to the strong; that the inferior submit to the superior. However, Jesus shows us that submission has to do with designated roles. In the “role” of savior, Jesus had to submit to the Father, but in submitting to the Father Jesus did not become inferior to the Father. In fact, it is through His submission that Jesus’ power and glory is revealed. For example, when the mob of several hundred people came to arrest Jesus did He appear weak and timid? No! When Jesus stood before the rulers of His day, did He appear weak and timid? Again, no! Yet Jesus was in submission to His Father at the time. Jesus’ submissive role shows Him to be strong and courageous, not weak and timid. Here’s my point in all of this, when we are willing to submit within our God given roles, God will accomplish much. Let us not run from submission but embrace it, because, in our submission God is glorified. As wives submit to their husbands, as children submit to their parents, as citizens submit to the government, God’s purposes are realized, His creation has order and He is glorified. If I may borrow the words of the apostle Paul, “for when I am [appear to be] weak, that is when I am strong!

Pastor Don