Author: ForChristsSakeFellowship

For God So Loved The World

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“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” – John 3:16

With the upcoming year upon us, I wanted this sermon to be the gospel in a nutshell. I wanted to make this sermon brief, but bold, in order to keep Christ at the front of your mind this next year.

In the beginning, God created the heavens, the earth, and everything in between. I know that because I’m here too. You and I are not here because of some one-in-a-zillion random chance. You and I live because God wants to be loved. And because of that need for love, He gave us the freedom to choose Him or reject Him. Love is a gift, and a gift that is forced is no gift at all.

As ignorant humans, we often pull away from God’s desires for our lives. We do bad things, called sins. Those sins can’t just disappear, or else what have we learned from them? The Bible says that the wages of sin is death. Plain and simple, if you commit evil, you can’t get into Heaven. That’s why there is Jesus.

Jesus is God in human form. God lowered Himself from His heavenly throne and was born of the Virgin Mary. She needed to be an untouched virgin to let there be no doubt that it wasn’t of human means, but God’s. Jesus was born to not only experience what God’s children experience, but to show us a better way to live the life He’s blessed us with. However, remember earlier when I said that the wages of sin is death. We deserve punishment because of our bad choices, but Jesus took that punishment for you and I on the cross. Then, just to show that God has power even over death, Jesus rose from the grave. Life, death, and eternity; nothing is too far out of God’s reach because it’s all His.

When we accept Jesus and His finished work on the cross, we are telling Him yes, please take our sins away. He can have them all. All of the sins we’ve done and all we will ever do, He has washed them away by His blood. In dying, Jesus destroyed our death. In rising, Jesus restored our life.

This upcoming year, keep Christ first in your life. Let Him go before you in all that you do so that you may prosper in every area. His promise to you is that He will work all things for the good for those who love Him. Accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, because if you do, you will be forgiven of your sins and experience a love so complete and wonderful that it will take all of eternity to show you just how much God truly loves His children.

God’s blessings to you.

DH

A Star Is Born

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“Behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, saying, ‘Where is the newborn King of the Jews? We saw His star as it rose and we have come to worship him.” – Matthew 2:2

On the night Jesus Christ came into this world, there was a particular star that shined brightly above His birthplace. That star was many things to many people. To the wise, it was a symbol of hope and freedom. To the sinner, it was a stop sign. To the kings and Pharisees, it was an eviction notice. To the entire world, that star was a sign that nothing would ever be the same again.

Whether you believe in Him or not, Jesus Christ has changed the world forever. Our common calendar is based off of Christ’s birth. Phrases used every day, such as “Go the extra mile,” “blind leading the blind,” “wolf in sheep’s clothing,” or “straight and narrow” are all words straight from Christ’s mouth. This whole time of year especially is because of Jesus. You can say happy holidays all you want, but the truth of the matter is that Christ is the reason for the season. Even in places that are cynical of Christian values, I have heard Christmas music playing. Take the time to listen to those songs. Those are songs of praise and worship and they are being played all over the place and even all over the world this time of year.

To paraphrase the book of Acts, if this whole Jesus thing was just of men, it would turn to nothing. However, if this really is of God, there’s nothing in this world that can stop it. It’s been over two thousand years since the birth of Jesus and there is no silencing the believer, no matter what heretical laws are passed and no matter how politically correct this country becomes. Why? Because the person who has been forgiven of much shows the most love for the Lord. I have been forgiven of many wrongs in my life and, if by chance I am ever rendered mute, my actions and my very soul would still sing out in praise of the God Most High.

That’s why there was a bright and shining star. Even the universe shows praise to the Creator. So remember this time of year, Christmas time. Praise Jesus for what He has done and for the promises He’s given us. A believer’s future is sealed by complete and boundless love and it all started because a star was born, and His name is Jesus Christ.

Merry Christmas and God’s blessings to you.

DH

How To Know God’s Plans For Your Life

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“Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path.” – Psalm 119:105

There’s an old saying, “you can’t give what you don’t have.” That means so much more when you are talking about Christianity.  Those of you who have children should know well that when there are questions from your kids about God and His ways.  My Lord is my life, but I still get blindsided by questions from my kids about God’s ways.  Let’s face it, God’s ways are so far above our ways as the heavens are above the earth.  There are times when I have to look at them and tell them that I’m not sure what the answer is, but I always try to find out the answer.

Being uncertain about God’s ways isn’t a real big deal in many cases, but being uncertain and not doing anything about it is a tragedy. You can say that you aren’t sure about something, but it better be followed up by the comment that you will find out more about the question.  We all have questions and it is probably not your fault.  You haven’t been told or shown the answer.  There was a part in the book of Acts where the disciple Phillip saw a gentleman reading the scriptures.  Phillip asked if he understood them, to which the gentleman replied, “How can I if nobody explains it to me?”  You will always have some questions, but if you don’t try to find out an answer, then shame on you.

Thankfully, we don’t need to seek out some yogi or lama on a mountain top thousands of miles away somewhere. If you live in America, you are blessed with the ability to walk into almost any Christian church anywhere and hear the word of God preached.  You will find believers just like you who either used to have or still have those same types of questions as you.  If you spend time listening to and reading the gospel, the Holy Spirit will reveal things to you.  It is almost like turning on a light bulb.  Probably every day I read the bible and will get something new that I didn’t even see there before.  The Bible has been called a living book and that is a true statement.  The Word of God touches my heart all the time, because the Word is not a ‘what’, it’s a ‘who’; and that ‘who’ is Jesus Christ. The more I pray and talk with Him, the better I can navigate through this sea of craziness called life.

To live a good life, you need to first know good from evil. To be moral, you must first know what good morals are. If you look at the example Christ set before us, you see exactly what good is. You see what a moral life should look like.  You can spit out verse after verse of scripture, but do you live it? If you can’t say that you are trying to do right in the Lord’s eyes, then you are living a poor existence, with one foot in the grave and one on a banana peel.

There’s a problem in this world because there’s a problem inside of each and every one of us. If we want this world to be better and closer to Jesus, we first must be closer to Jesus.  Like Mother Teresa said, “Let no one ever come to you without leaving better and happier.” I will do all I can to give good, solid, and biblically based answers to anything that’s asked of me and that’s including asking me how I live my life.  I will point not to how I live, but how Christ lives in me.

I may not have all of the answers, but there’s a book that can surely point the way. It’s called the Holy Bible. It’s an awesome story book, a wonderful non-fiction novel, the greatest treasure map, and the most important owners manual you could ever own all rolled up into one. Never go a day without spending time with Jesus in his scriptures.

God’s blessings to you.

DH

If God Be For Us

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“If God is for us, who can ever be against us?” – Romans 8:31

I have my fair share of problems, but don’t we all? There isn’t a person among us that hasn’t tasted pain or heartache. But instead of talking about how big my problems are, I want to tell you about how big my God is.

For Moses and the Israelites, my God brought plagues against their foes and parted the Red Sea so they could escape and be led into their promised land. For the profit Gideon, God blessed him so he could command a small group of 300 fighters to defeat an army of over 130,000. For Daniel, God sent an angel to close the mouths of the lions and also protect Daniel’s friends through a fiery furnace.

Notice in all of those situations, God didn’t just take away the problems. Instead, God protected and strengthened his people so they could come through their problems and glorify God in the process. God doesn’t create the problems, but as the Bible says, God will use all things for the good of those who love Him.

Jesus Himself said during a prayer that He doesn’t want us taken out of the world, but instead asks the Father to strengthen us during our trials. Each of those trials is a life lesson, and not just for us, but for everyone around us. When hard times come, we can either shrink into our own little corner and die or we can stand up, fight, and show this world what a mighty and awesome Father we have in Heaven.

Jesus prayed for our strength. Do you think Jesus ever prayed a prayer that wasn’t answered?

There is more to life than just what we see. We can either focus on the temporary or we can set our sights on the eternal. God is more than just a God of the right now, He is God of the forever. This problem you are facing, no mater how big it seems, is no match for how big our God is. That same God who is Father over all of creation is your Father as well and He loves you. Trust in the Father’s love and let Him take you farther than you could possibly imagine.

God’s blessings to you.

DH

A Job Well Done

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“Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in Heaven.” – Matthew 5:16

Take a moment to realize just who Jesus is and was on this earth. The God of the universe chose to take on a physical presence among us. He could have chosen to be born a prince or someone with prestige, but He instead chose to be born of simple means. Jesus grew into a working trade, since His earthly father Joseph was a carpenter. Not the most powerful of positions, but God knows what true power is and it doesn’t have anything to do with money or status. It has everything to do with loving and caring for others. That is something that Christ takes seriously and so should we.

Jesus wants us to follow in His footsteps. Yes, He performed miracles that we cannot, but His main objective was to help people and show love whenever He could. That is something that we can definitely do in whatever area of society we are in. You don’t have to be big or powerful to show love or to take care of someone. You don’t need to hit the lottery to feed the homeless and you don’t need to be president to change the world. No matter what position you hold in this world, you can change peoples’ lives for the better.

St. Teresa of Avila once said that God moves about the pots and pans. What she was saying was that there is holiness and importance in even the most mundane of duties. No matter how great or small, each task can have a tremendous impact on this world if you take the time to see it. If you are a cook, you give people physical nourishment so they can keep strong in their lives. If you are a mechanic, you repair automobiles that can carry children safely to school every day. Don’t think for a second that you or your work is insignificant. You touch lives in ways you don’t always see or understand, but God does.

This is not telling you to think that you are better than anyone else. Certainly not. We are all sons and daughters of the King of Kings. We all hold a place of importance and deserve the best. Your attitude should be that you are doing the work for someone you love. You aren’t working for your company or your boss, you are working for the God Most High and His beloved children.

If your work is tedious or tough, then all the better to show your sacrifice. Jesus offered Himself to God for our sins out of love. It was a love offering, the highest and best there could be. Just the same, you should offer your best work up to God as a sacrifice out of love; love for God and love for your fellow person. When you show that you care about what you are doing, it makes all the difference in the output of your work. Also, over time, you might just find that your work isn’t as stressful or as boring as it used to be. Your importance rests less on the recognition you get from people and more on the reward of a job well done.

You woke up today, you’re breathing, and your heart is beating. Those three things right there should tell you that God isn’t done with you yet. You are important to Him and to His children. Don’t limit yourself to “if only I could…” kind of thoughts, you are significant right here and now in whatever job you do. We all have a part to play in this world, so do your best work. If you do, then I promise that one day, when time gives way to eternity, you will hear God say, “Well done my good and faithful servant. Now at last, enter into the joy of your Master’s house.”

God’s blessings to you.

DH

The Hell There Is

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“Fear him who, after your body has been killed, has authority to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him.” Luke 12:5

Few people today seem to believe in the devil or in hell. It would seem as though it would be easy to believe in the devil since there are so many devilish things happening today. All the time we hear in the news about gruesome acts far beyond what the human mind by itself could conceive. And behind it all is the evil one, pulling the strings.

I hear comments to the tone of “If God is a loving God, He wouldn’t make a hell or the devil.” Yes, God is definitely a loving and merciful God. He instilled in us free will, which is the complete freedom of choice and God indeed respects that choice. In fact, God’s love is so boundless for us that He will allow us to even choose a bad road, if that is truly what we want. In short, God has never sentenced anyone to hell, we sentence ourselves there. God hates it and He hurts when His children go astray, but He loves us enough to allow our decisions to stand, even if they are poor decisions. But there is the crux of the matter, which is in order to make a choice, there must be something to choose. If the only way was Heaven no matter what, then what consequences are there for leading an evil and deplorable life? What would the reason be for repentance? God loves us and wants us to love Him in return, but if there is no choice, there can never be true love. Love is a gift, but a gift that is forced is no gift at all.

The most powerful argument for the existence of Satan is the fact that Jesus Himself talks about him and even to him in the Bible. We read in Matthew chapter 4 that Christ was tempted by the devil. We read later in Luke that Jesus “saw Satan fall like lightning from Heaven.” In fact, the devil is spoke of frequently throughout the Bible, from Genesis to Revelation. So what about hell then? Jesus speaks of hell as a place of eternal fire that was prepared for the devil and his angels. He also calls hell a place of outer darkness set apart from God where there is great wailing and gnashing of teeth. That should be enough for any Christian. Our Lord said it, therefore it is true.

It’s horrible to think of, but the devil and hell are spoken of as a real warning for us to stay on the straight path to the narrow gate. Two paths, one leads to love and one away from love. The choice is yours, but make no mistake, there is truly a choice. Don’t get fooled by the watered-down version of today’s gospel that preaches nothing but happiness and prosperity with no effort to repent of our deeds on our part. This is all a part of Satan’s master plan. When you start doubting the existence of the enemy, you won’t put up any kind of fight against him. And when you stop fighting against evil, Satan’s already won. Don’t let the devil win in the battle for your soul! If you think there’s no other way but to Heaven no matter what you do, then think again. The hell there is.

God’s blessings to you.

DH

Never Ending Prayer

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“O Jerusalem, I have posted watchmen on your walls; they will pray day and night, continually. Take no rest, all you who pray to the Lord. Give the Lord no rest until He completes His work, until He makes Jerusalem the pride of the earth.” – Isaiah 62.6-7 NLT

There are so many problems in this world. Hunger, war, disease, anger, and the list goes on. Since the time of Adam and Eve, there has been an evil in this world that none of us are immune to. Unfortunately, we all are subject to many of those types of evil.

The question gets posed, “What can I do. I have a job, and a family, and obligations, and…and…and…” While I understand not having a moment to yourself, what I don’t understand is why can’t we do more for the kingdom of God in our own everyday lives? At work, at home, or wherever we are, we need to look for more opportunities to do good for others. And whether or not we can do something physically for someone, we can and should always pray for them.

If you are a Christian, you have taken on the responsibility of showing Jesus Christ to this fallen world. We need to empower rather than cut down and build up rather than destroy. I once saw a man in a truck stop bathroom who was taking a paper towel and lightly cleaning around the dirty sink. He didn’t work there, so I asked him why he was cleaning. The man replied, “My Savior, Jesus, left this world better than what He found it. I should do the same.” Those words rang in my ears like a church bell.

Granted, it’s sometimes hard to model Christ for others, especially when we feel angry or offended by someone, but it is our duty children of the Most High God. And frankly, it is those times when we see someone that is full of anger or sadness that we need to pray for them the most. I know what my Lord and Savior has done for my life; how selfish that would be for me to want to keep the love of God all to myself.

Many people work with others and talk with them in the course of their day. You may talk with them for 20 years about their kids, sports teams, their social habits, and a number of other things. The one thing that people seem to have trouble sharing is the word of God. Even if your job banned all religious speech, you can still share the love of Christ through your actions and reactions to business situations. Your faith is something that you should be living out loud. If you are a Christian, you should be the most ethical and most reliable person there. You may not get it all right all the time, but there should still be a certain joy that you bring there. A joy based on your God and not your circumstances. Once people see your joy, they will have no choice but to ask you the reason why.

The point is to never give up, no matter what the fight looks like. We as Christians need to walk straighter and hold ourselves to a higher standard than the rest of this world. Even when the devil throws all he has against you, you should be able to look him in the eye and smile, knowing you are protected by the blood of Jesus. When the devil tries to condemn you, know that the King of Kings has already given you His seal of approval. God loves you and wants the best for you and all of His people, so keep fighting the good fight. Model Jesus to everyone and never stop praying for them.

No matter the country, color, or circumstances, people are not so different. We all need prayers to not only find Jesus, but to walk with Him closer and closer everyday. We fight against the sin in this world and the wickedness in ourselves, but through God’s saving grace, we shall find our rest with Him in Heaven for all eternity.

God’s blessings to you.

DH

Faith Healers

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“For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.” Philippians 1:21

I have a relative way back, I think my mom’s uncle, who was a bona fide faith healer. Some of the stories of how he mended bones and manifested great miracles blows my mind. He wasn’t the only one in my lineage that was strong in the Lord, but he really stands out. The unfortunate part is that I don’t even know his name. I can’t even pass along a name to my kids when they ask about him. It’s sad that so much faith and power and circumstance that went into this man’s life, and we don’t even remember his name.

That being said, a man like that with that much faith wouldn’t be interested in us knowing his name as much as he’d want us to know Jesus’s name. Any person who walks with God daily truly knows that it is God’s power that makes all the difference. Much like the moon reflecting the sun’s light, the best we can do is simply reflect as much of Jesus to this world as we can.

The Apostle Paul said, “For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.” How many of us can truly say that? Are you living for Jesus? Do you do everything not for the here and now, but for the joy that awaits you in Heaven? It hurts me to say that even I have days where I’m being selfish and do things that help nobody but me. Granted, you need to keep yourself healthy and safe, or else you can’t help others. But to who’s comfort do you seek, others’ or your own? A great person is not made through selfishness, but through sacrifice for others. You can amass wealth and fame and have it all, but it’s all for nothing if you lose your soul to get it.

The memory of my mom’s uncle and so many like him live on in our minds and hearts because of their close connection to Jesus. It’s about what they gave and not what they took from this world. And although this generation forgot much about them, we are stronger in the Lord because of people like him and that’s what really matters. Will the next generation say the same about you? If not, now is your season and time for change.

God’s blessings to you.

DH

Little Scraps Of Holiness

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“They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over.” – Luke 9:17

In Luke chapter 9, we read about Jesus feeding the 5000 with 2 fishes and 5 loaves of bread. Jesus blessed the meal and then handed out pieces to everyone. After they all got their fill, they picked up the scraps that were left over and they filled 12 wicker baskets.

In our lives, we are blessed everyday. If you have a warm meal, a safe place to sleep, or even if you simply woke up this morning, you have been blessed by the Lord. The disciples and people following Jesus were blessed by getting the loaves, but what about the scraps?

God said He would bless those who love Him and that He’d do it abundantly. The things we see as being good are definitely blessings, but so are the bad. We focus on the big things, the loaves. What we don’t see are the scraps. The small portions of blessings that we are given daily. All of those little irritations and annoyances we experience everyday are occasions for us to cultivate holiness in our lives.

Stuck in traffic? Try thanking God that you have a vehicle or somewhere you are needing to go. The waiter serves you a cold meal? Thank God you have the means to purchase a meal. Children needing your help on homework? Thank God you have children and have their trust enough for them to ask you for help.

These are the little scraps of holiness we take for granted everyday. You may not have thought about it before, but you woke up today, which make this the perfect opportunity to give God something you didn’t give Him yesterday. Thank Him for the scraps.

God’s blessings to you.

DH

No Stranger To The Pain

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“God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.” – Psalm 46:1

It’s hard to understand, but God has empathy for us during our trials. He knows us inside and out. He knows our pain and our frustrations, but take heart. God says that we are not alone in our trials. When we accept Christ, He lives in us and through us. His Holy Spirit is with us as our comforter and He is a comforter like no other.

In order to be a good comfort in the midst of a struggle, you must be familiar with those struggles. To help deal with a friend’s pain effectively, you must be familiar with the pain. Take comfort that our Savior is no stranger to pain. The bible says He was tempted in all ways and that He bore our sins on the cross. When His friend Lazarus died, Jesus wept even though He knew what would happen next. He went through all of the pain because of what waited on the other side of that pain. And in all things, He kept looking up and praising the Father.

Just before breaking bread and handing it out to the multitudes, He looked up and thanked His Father in Heaven. Jesus blessed the bread through His praise. We need to truly understand that. Our struggles will bend us and sometimes break us, but the bible says in ALL things give thanks to God. If we foster a habit of constant praise, no matter the situation, we will be blessed far beyond what we could imagine. The bread was blessed and then became a blessing to many. The bread fulfilled its ultimate purpose because of it breaking, not in spite of it. Jesus will bless us through our trials so that when we come out of them, those trials will in turn make us into the blessing that many others need to help them through their own trials. God likes to use the ordinary to do the extraordinary.

So this day and every day, no matter the situation, we need to give praise to God our Father. We need to come to Him even when we don’t feel like it. Smile up at God because He’s smiling down on us. Take comfort that He is here with us and has something wonderful in store for us. It may be a rough road for us now and then, but Christ is there to offer His love and His comfort to us and through us.

“And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain.” – Revelation 21:4

God’s blessings to you.

DH