I am still working on my sermons in this time to keep my mind clear. Here ate the last two weeks.

May 281Peter 5:6-11 Fighting lions   Seventh Sunday of Easter

God prepares us for battle and strengthens us through it.

Psalter reading Psalm 68:1-10

“1 ¶ «To the Chief Musician. A Psalm of David. A Song.» Let God arise, Let His enemies be scattered; Let those also who hate Him flee before Him. 2 As smoke is driven away, So drive them away; As wax melts before the fire, So let the wicked perish at the presence of God. 3 But let the righteous be glad; Let them rejoice before God; Yes, let them rejoice exceedingly. 4 Sing to God, sing praises to His name; Extol Him who rides on the clouds, By His name YAH, And rejoice before Him. 5 A father of the fatherless, a defender of widows, Is God in His holy habitation. 6 God sets the solitary in families; He brings out those who are bound into prosperity; But the rebellious dwell in a dry land. 7 ¶ O God, when You went out before Your people, When You marched through the wilderness, Selah 8 The earth shook; The heavens also dropped rain at the presence of God; Sinai itself was moved at the presence of God, the God of Israel. 9 You, O God, sent a plentiful rain, Whereby You confirmed Your inheritance, When it was weary. 10 Your congregation dwelt in it; You, O God, provided from Your goodness for the poor.” (Psalm 68:1-10 NKJV)

“6 Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, 7 casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you. 8 ¶ Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. 9 Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world. 10 ¶ But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you. 11 To Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.” (1Peter 5:6-11 NKJV)

We live in a world with wars and rumor of wars and death tolls that keep rising, a world where despots kill their own people to hold onto their power and words like ethnic cleansing and genocide are used far too often.

For God has left us in a world where satan roars about like a lion destroying, devouring and deceiving.  Where the lion deceives even God’s people at times to do terrible things.

How do we conquer the lion and not get deceived or devoured?

1.     Praise the God who created even the lion and who gave His precious Son to conquer the lion!

2.     Humble yourself before God and admit you need Jesus Christ to be able to face the lion!

3.     Through Jesus’ work against the sin in your life to give fewer places for the lion to work in your life!

4.     Draw strength, encouragement and guidance from brothers and sister in Christ as you help them.

5.     Have faith that God will complete the work He has started in You and look to see His glory!

As we actively work against satan we weaken his hold in the world and expand the Light and Power of God!  By opening our lives to Jesus God has an open door to work in this world and we are able to make God smile in joy!

June 4 1 Corinthians 12:1-13 Pentecostal Gifting   Day of Pentecost

Release the Holy Spirit in your life and the Gifts start working.

Psalter reading Psalm 104:24-35

“24 O LORD, how manifold are Your works! In wisdom You have made them all. The earth is full of Your possessions— 25 This great and wide sea, In which are innumerable teeming things, Living things both small and great. 26 There the ships sail about; There is that Leviathan Which You have made to play there. 27 These all wait for You, That You may give them their food in due season. 28 What You give them they gather in; You open Your hand, they are filled with good. 29 You hide Your face, they are troubled; You take away their breath, they die and return to their dust. 30 You send forth Your Spirit, they are created; And You renew the face of the earth. 31 ¶ May the glory of the LORD endure forever; May the LORD rejoice in His works. 32 He looks on the earth, and it trembles; He touches the hills, and they smoke. 33 I will sing to the LORD as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God while I have my being. 34 May my meditation be sweet to Him; I will be glad in the LORD. 35 May sinners be consumed from the earth, And the wicked be no more. Bless the LORD, O my soul! Praise the LORD!” (Psalm 104:24-35 NKJV)

“1 ¶ Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be ignorant: 2 You know that you were Gentiles, carried away to these dumb idols, however you were led. 3 Therefore I make known to you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God calls Jesus accursed, and no one can say that Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit. 4 There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. 5 There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. 6 And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all. 7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all: 8 for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit, 10 to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. 11 But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills. 12 ¶ For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ. 13 For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and have all been made to drink into one Spirit.” (1Corinthians 12:1-13 NKJV)

“We can’t do that.”  Over the more than 30 years I have served in the Church I have heard that saying spoken in so many different ways in so many different congregations.  It almost seems we have become the Church of the UN – the unable or the unwilling!

Our Psalm reading gives us an amazing picture of the God we serve.  The God who created all things – even you, Who provides for you, Who gives you breath, Who creates new life in us, Who renews the earth, and Who is worthy of dedicating my life to getting to know Him and to praise and worship Him!!!

In 1 Corinthians we see God remind us that indeed we are unable to do all that God commands us to do, but that we can through His power and the working of the Holy Spirit in our lives, families, congregations and the Church!  So we are left with the knowledge that while we are unable God WILL enable us and so to not serve God is to be unwilling!

But the question is what are we unwilling to do?

1.     To do God’s will?

2.     To allow the Holy Spirit to work in our lives?

3.     To place our lives under God’s authority?

If you are not serving God at this time which of these applies to you?  Why are you holding back from God and being part of His great work in creation?