Immanuel...God With, In & For Us!

Matthew 1:21-23 "And she shall bring forth a son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins. So all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying: ’Behold the virgin shall be with child, and bear a son, and they shall call His name Immanuel, which is translated, ’God with us." 
 

Will Christ be the center of your Christmas?
Are you living for the things that Christ died for?

   As Christians, we need to remember that our joy is because of Jesus, our songs are because of our Savior, our love because of our Lord, and our blessings a result of His birth.

   Because of that first Christmas, Immanuel (God With Us) has come and we as a result gain three great assurances that provide comfort and strength throughout our life. 

   I’m going to share with you those three great assurances, and simply give you scriptures to read and ponder this Christmas.


1. GOD WITH US!
Matthew 1:23 "…and they shall call His name Immanuel, which is translated, God with us."

Matthew 28:20"…and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."

Deuteronomy 31:8 "And the Lord is the one who goes ahead of you; He will be with you. He will not fail you or forsake you. Do not fear, or be dismayed."

Joshua 1:9 "Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go."

Psalm 23:4 “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for Thou art with me…”


2. GOD IN US!
Colossians 1:27 "… which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.".

Galatians 4:6  “And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, ‘Abba, Father!”

Romans 8:9b-11  “…But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him. If Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the spirit is alive because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through the Spirit who dwells in you.”


3. GOD FOR US!
Romans 8:31-32 "What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things."

Romans 8:28 ”And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

Isaiah 54:17 ¹⁷ No weapon formed against you shall prosper, And every tongue which rises against you in judgment You shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, And their righteousness is from Me,” Says the LORD.

   Stand encouraged today knowing that Immanuel, the Almighty God, He is with you!  He is WITH you, IN you, and FOR you! 

I wish you a very BLESSED and MERRY Christmas! 

~ Matt

Friday Funnies:12/17/10

What's Your Religion?

I was walking across a bridge one day, and I saw a man standing on the edge, about to jump off. I immediately ran over and said "Stop! Don't do it!" 
       
      "Why shouldn't I?" he said. 
       I said, "Well, there's so much to live for!" 
       
      "Like what?" 
       "Well ... are you religious or atheist?" 
       
      "Religious." 
       "Me too! Are you Christian or Jewish?" 
       
      "Christian." 
       "Me too! Are you Catholic or Protestant?" 
       
      "Protestant." 
       "Me too! Are you Episcopalian or Baptist?" 
       
      "Baptist." 
       "Wow! Me too! Are you Baptist Church of God or Baptist Church of the Lord?" 
       
      "Baptist Church of God." 
      "Me too! Are you Original Baptist Church of God, or are you Reformed Baptist Church of God?" 
       
      "Reformed Baptist Church of God." 
       "Me too! Are you Reformed Baptist Church of God, reformation of 1879, or Reformed Baptist Church of God, reformation of 1915?" 
       
      "Reformed Baptist Church of God, reformation of 1915!" 
       To which I said, "Die, heretic scum!" and pushed him off.

Funny Yet Honestly Sad!


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Have a wonderful weekend!

~ Matt

Triumph through the Trials!

Psalm 23:4 (NLT)  ⁴ Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me.  Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me.

   You might be going through one of life's big storms right now.  You may have even cried out for it to stop, and it hasn't.  In fact, It may have gotten worse.  And you may be asking why.  Why has God allowed this?

   There are no easy, straight forward answers to that question. But I do know this; Where there are no trials in life, there will be no triumphs.  There is a saying that goes; "The hammer shatters glass, but it forges steel."  You see, great things will come as a result of the hardship you are gong through.  Let me put it this way, miracles are conceived during trials.

   Think about this; the apostle Paul died and went to heaven, and he wrote a few lines about it. But he wrote entire books while he was in prison.  In other words, he wrote the most during the toughest, hardest, most difficult times.  You see, when you go through difficult times, look around for God to speak.  When you go through hardships, there are things you will learn and discover that you couldn’t learn anywhere else.

   Psalm 23 is a well-known, well-loved passage that many have memorized. It is a beautiful picture of sheep grazing on grass and drinking from the cool mountain springs. We love that. We love the green pastures and still waters. But then David continues on: Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me.  Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me.

 
   Ya, there will be those times when God will take us to the beautiful green pastures and still mountain waters.  But know that, He will be with us in the valleys as well. And it is through those valleys we learn important lessons in life.  You see, fruit does not grow on mountaintops; it grows in valleys!

God has a purpose for you while in the storms of life…so rest in Him, because He is with you through it all.  Remember this; no trials, no triumph.  It’s time now to Triumph through the Trials! 
 

~ Matt

Monday Mission: Living On Mission!

This mission is not for the elite. You need not be a professional. It is not an exclusive club, private fraternity, or social clique. The “Bold and the Beautiful” are definitely  welcome, but the “Humble and the Homely” will be in charge.  Fighting for power or position is counterproductive and will not be tolerated.  Feeling not as important or not as useful is a lie. There is only one entrance fee, the same for all and everyone has the same ability to pay it.  It’s simply; YOUR ALL!

Once you give your all, prepare to be transformed. You will be renewed, set free, forgiven, adopted, and blessed.  After which, you will be sent into danger with nothing except this transformed self and a new companion (the Holy Spirit). You will be sent into possible rejection, and possible pain.  But as you continue in faith, you will begin to find out what it really means to be alive.

Now, this Mission is for Everyone!  Get past the mindset of; “The mission is for the missionaries, not for ordinary people like me”, or “That should be the pastor’s job”, or “What can I do anyway”.  God has empowered YOU with His grace to be a witness and influence to your family, community, nation and world.  God has sovereignty placed you within your area of influence, in order to make an impact.  It is time to start living on Mission!

Luke 10:1-11, 17 (NLT):
1 The Lord now chose seventy-two other disciples and sent them ahead in pairs to all the towns and places he planned to visit. 2 These were his instructions to them: “The harvest is great, but the workers are few. So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields. 3 Now go, and remember that I am sending you out as lambs among wolves. 4 Don’t take any money with you, nor a traveler’s bag, nor an extra pair of sandals. And don’t stop to greet anyone on the road.
5 “Whenever you enter someone’s home, first say, ‘May God’s peace be on this house.’ 6 If those who live there are peaceful, the blessing will stand; if they are not, the blessing will return to you. 7 Don’t move around from home to home. Stay in one place, eating and drinking what they provide. Don’t hesitate to accept hospitality, because those who work deserve their pay.
8 “If you enter a town and it welcomes you, eat whatever is set before you. 9 Heal the sick, and tell them, ‘The Kingdom of God is near you now.’ 10 But if a town refuses to welcome you, go out into its streets and say, 11 ‘We wipe even the dust of your town from our feet to show that we have abandoned you to your fate. And know this—the Kingdom of God is near!’
17 When the seventy-two disciples returned, they joyfully reported to him, “Lord, even the demons obey us when we use your name!” 

Now, can you name at least one of these guys Jesus sent out?  No?  But they walked with Him, felt His touch, heard His voice, did what He said and it was a success.  Surely these people have an exalted place in the history of the Christian movement. They must be “somebodys” right!  Well, to be honest, we don’t even know their names.  All we know is that there were 72 of them, and Jesus sent them out in pairs to announce the Kingdom of God.

That tells us something very important: The Mission is for Everyone. You don’t have to be a “somebody”; you don’t have to be one of the 12, or one of the inner 3.  If Jesus has transformed you then He has also sent you!  If He has transformed you, then He has empowered you!  He has sent you to live on mission for the Kingdom!

Go with courage!

~ Matt  

Wednesday-Challenger: 12/ 8/10 (For The Good Of Others...& The Kingdom)

1 Corinthians 10:32-33 ³² Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks or the church of God — ³³ even as I try to please everyone in every way. For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved.

   Paul’s purpose in his actions was for the expansion of the Kingdom.  He didn’t do all that he did for himself.  His decisions were not based on what was best for him but for what were best for those around him.  Some opposite approaches to this would be the following.

One: If we just did what we wanted, no matter who is hurt by it.  This kind of selfishness is a major problem with many growing up today.  There is no compassion or care for the feelings of others.  This can be seen in families were one family member is going to do something that will effect the entire family in a negative way, but there feelings are not even considered.  We can even see this in the church.  Many have been turned off to church because they feel that the church has it’s own agenda and it doesn’t include them.  We must be sensitive to the needs of those around us.  Even if it goes against our church agenda, we must be somewhat sensitive to what it might look like to seekers.  Now, I'm not advocating the seeker-friendly approach (where we don’t want to be offensive to sinners…The Gospel will be offensive at times), but I am all for being Jesus-Friendly, which means I must show compassion as well.   I want to be pleasing to Him.

Two: Being over-sensitive and doing nothing.  This is an over reaction to the previous problem.  We must be on mission and moving forward at all times.  In this process, some may get offended or upset.  That is between them and God.  We can’t stop reaching and moving and serving and preaching and even rebuking at times, simply because we are being oversensitive to the feelings and views of others.  Again, I want to be Jesus-friendly, and that means pointing out the sin that needs to be addressed (in a loving & compassionate way).  Otherwise, where is the true love? 

Three: Being a “Yes Man”.  This means, you are going along with everything, trying to gain approval from people rather than from God.  This results in fear of man issues instead of living with the fear of God.  Wow, that is something that is not heard much these days.  I really need to take a future post and talk about exactly what the fear of God is & is not.  The bottom line is that; we need to quit being “yes men” and start becoming “yes Jesus”.  Stop with the “Yes Me” and start with the “yes Him”.  OK, you get the point.

   In this “me, myself & I”, “looking out for number one”, “me first” day and age we live in; Paul’s statement here is an excellent standard to live by.  If we make the good of others one of our primary goals, then we will develop a servant attitude, which in return will bring pleasure to God. 

   Let me encourage you today to examine your heart, and examine your life.  Are you living according to this standard?  Have a wonderful day!

~ Matt

Friday Funnies:12/3/10

I love comedy with a message.
These guys (Skit Guys) do just that.
Enjoy!

Have a great weekend!


~ Matt

Jesus, the Builder & Protector! So, Sleep Well

Psalm 127:1-2 

Unless the LORD builds the house, they labor in vain who build it; unless the LORD guards the city, the watchman stays awake in vain. It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows; for so He gives His beloved sleep.

   I absolutely love these 2 verses (especially when I started pastoring) See, If I was ever tempted to worry about the Church, I would just remember that, hey, it’s His house and ultimately only He can build it. My efforts, by themselves, are in vain.

   Now, He is not only the builder of the Church; He is the protector of it as well. Man, this takes a lot of weight off of my shoulders and helps me sleep well at night. And I believe that is the way God wants it.  God wants you to be able to sleep at night. 

   The problem is that we often don’t believe this in our heart.  We read it and say oh yes, praise God, He’s in control.  But deep down, we don’t believe it.  How can I say that?  Well because there are way to many Christians sitting up late, worrying and eating the bread of sorrows.  Stop it!  You see, It doesn't matter if you are a pastor, business owner, or a stay-at-home mom.  Learn the secret of casting your cares & anxiety on God, trusting (in faith) that He can & will take care of it.  

   Jesus is the builder and protector of your life, and He knows the battles you face.  Just put your Faith & Trust in Him.  Realize that He is the Builder and Protector of your “house”, your life, your business, your family, etc. 

Trust Him and sleep well tonight!